Kingdom Hearts: Live or Die Part 1 - Torn Apart
by krazykeybladegal
Summary: Sora and Riku are sent to find out why the Darkness has been multiplying and get caught up in an adventure that will unlock the secrets of their past and bring up problems that they'd rather not face. (Other characters from other games/anime appear in this story; not just KH characters.)
1. Chapter 1 - Departure

**Prologue**

The blade swung at him. Closer and closer it came, unwilling to stop.

_Is this the end? Am I really going to die? Why? How did this happen? The Darkness has really gotten to me, hasn't it? What's happening to me? Is the Darkness really starting to take over? I can feel the pain and hurt that I brought my friends. The Darkness made me strike down my best friend, raise my Keyblade at my loved ones. Hurt who's important to me. Maybe. . . I deserve to die. . ._

**Day 1**

**Departure**

_Darkness poured out of the world's Keyhole and shrouded the small island. The dark wind whipped, sucking down everything in it's path. He quickly ducked to the ground as a palm tree flew overhead. "Kiari!" he shouted, hastily glancing around the area._

_"__Sora! Help!" a girl's voice cried in reply._

_Sora spun around. "Kiari?" When he saw her being dragged away, he didn't hesitate to race towards her. "Hold on! I'm coming!" Her hand reached towards him as he came closer and closer. Just before he went to grab it, a green-haired boy appeared in front of him. Sora clashed his Keyblade in the boy's dagger but it didn't do any good. The boy lifted his leg and kicked Sora in the jaw, the impact knocking him clean off the ground. Sora collapsed to the ground. His jaw felt like it had been broken. _

_Knowing that he wasn't going to make it in time, he hoped that Riku was closer to Kiari than he was. His hope shattered when he saw Riku to his left. He was gritting his teeth and covering both of his ears as a girl in front of him sang a song. _

_"__Sora! Please, help me! Please!" Kiari's screams echoed through Sora's head. He forced himself to get up. He stumbled forward almost falling flat on his face. He saw a dark portal rise up behind the people who were taking Kiari away. _

_"__Damn this," a boy with ebony black hair cursed. He looked even younger than Sora, but his eyes were piercing with Darkness. "Make haste or he will catch up to us. Faster!" _

_Kiari wasn't finished yet. She elbowed a girl that was dragging her in the face and then pulled away from the other two boys. "Sora!" she continued to scream. She stumbled over her own feet and then fell to the ground. She reached out her hand. Sora stretched his arm out as far as it would go, reaching back to Kiari, desperately waiting for the moment when he would grasp her hand. _

_But he never did._

_The moment when Sora was about to take Kiari's hand in his own, the green-haired boy appeared between the two of them. He punched Sora in the face, knocking him back, and as for Kiari, he gave her a shove back into another boy's arms and she was carried through the black portal. _

_Sora sat up, clutching the side of his face that had been punched. "Stop!" he yelled. "Give Kiari back!"_

_The green-haired boy was the last to step into the portal. Just before he disappeared with his companions, he said, "If you want Kiari back, come get her," and with that, he vanished into the portal of Darkness._

_"__Wait. . ." Sora's pleads soon turned into a mixture of anger and rage. "Wait! Come back! I'll take you all on!"_

_"__Sora. . ." It was Riku. "Sora. . . They're gone. They've disappeared."_

_"__No. . ." Sora shook his head. "No. . . KIARI!"_

Sora jumped up. His whole body was drenched in sweat. He looked around. "Where. . ?"

"You're at Disney Castle."

"Gawrsh, are you all right, Sora?"

Sora turned and smiled at the two familiar faces. "Donald! Goofy!" The three of them locked each other in an embrace. "It's been so long!"

"Sora, it's so great to see you again," Donald said happily.

"A-Hyuck, we've missed ya, Sora," Goofy added.

"I missed you guys too," Sora replied, finally pulling away from them. "But, what am I doing here? How did I get here?"

"Welp, that's kinda a long story."

Sora turned his attention to he doorway. "Oh, your Majesty!" Sora quickly jumped to his feet and bowed as did Donald and Goofy. After Sora stood back up erect, he continued, "Well? Can you tell me what happened?"

King Mickey sighed. "The Darkness has begun to manipulate again. Sadly, it's destroyed your island. . . Everything was sucked away into the Darkness."

Sora lowered his head. "Why? Why does this always happen? Why can't the Darkness just disappear for once!?"

"Darkness and Light are connected," King Mickey stated. "You can't have one without the other."

Sora sighed. "I know that. . . I'm just so mad right now. . . Every time I think the Darkness is gone, it always comes back to haunt me. Wait. . . What about Riku?"

"Oh, about Riku~" King Mickey began.

Sora cut him off. "Where is he?! Is he okay?! What happened to him?!"

"Nothing, Riku's fine," King Mickey told him, surprised by Sora's sudden outburst. The news that Riku was okay made Sora sigh in relief. "He's down in the Gummi Hanger helping Chip and Dale out with the ship. You'll be needing it for where you're going."

"Where _are _we going?" Sora asked.

"There's a place where the Darkness seems to manipulating. I'm not sure we know the place, but Riku said that he wanted to check it out. He didn't leave because he knew that you would want to go with him."

Sora smiled. _At least Riku and I will be together this time. . . We've been separated from each other for too long. It would be nice to have him with me this time in case I need help. _Sora glanced at Donald and Goofy. "Are you two coming along?"

"I'm afraid that this is a task for the two Keyblade Masters," King Mickey answered. "The Darkness is just too strong this time. You two are the only ones who may have a chance at exceeding it's power."

Sora gave King Mickey a thumbs up. "Don't worry, your Majesty. If anyone can defeat the Darkness, Riku and I can." The large smile on Sora's face began to minimize into a look of horror. He quietly whispered to himself, "Kiari. . . Oh no. . ."

"What's the matter?" Donald asked.

"Kiari!" Sora realized. "She was taken away! Just before the island was destroyed, a group of people kidnapped Kiari and escaped with her!"

"Gawrsh, that's terrible! Any idea who took her?" Goofy asked.

Sora shook his head. "Your Majesty, may I ask, how did we get here?"

"Welp, you and Riku just appeared out in the Courtyard. We figured that the force from the world's destruction sent you all the way here. The Darkness didn't swallow you because you both have so much Light in your hearts," King Mickey explained.

"You didn't find Kiari here, did you?"

King Mickey shook his head.

Sora lowered his head. "I have to find her and save her. Any idea where she could have been taken?"

"Well, she could be at the place where you're going to search," Donald said.

Sora nodded. "She could be. . . Then that's where Riku and I will start out. When do we leave?"

"Welp, the Gummi Ship should be ready by now," King Mickey said. "Like I said, Riku's down there so it might be best to go and tell him that you're okay."

Sora smiled. "Right. Thanks for letting us borrow one of your ships. Don't worry, your Majesty, Riku and I will put an end to the Darkness. I promise." And with that said, Sora walked out of the room. He paced down the corridors, through the Courtyard, and then finally down the stairs which led to the Gummi Hanger.

"Riku!" he shouted happily when he saw his friend. He raced over to him and hugged him.

Riku smiled. "So I guess that this means you're okay."

"Are you kidding? It'll take a lot more than Darkness to take me down!"

"So I've noticed."

"Did you hear about everything? About heading to that new place?" Sora was hesitant and then finally added, "What about Kiari?"

Riku nodded. "Don't worry, Sora." He put his hands on Sora's shoulders. "We'll find her. I promise you that we will. I won't rest until she's safe."

"I'm just worried. . . I swear, if those people hurt her. . ."

"If they do, then we'll show them who's boss," Riku stated.

"Yeah! When the two of us are together, we're unbeatable!" Sora nodded. He summoned his Keyblade and pointed it to the ship. "Now let's get going!"

Riku sighed and followed Sora towards the Gummi Ship. _He just learned that the Darkness is about to take over and that Kiari was kidnapped yet he can still smile and be cheerful? Well, that's Sora for you._

Sora hopped in the front seat of the ship where the control panel was. Riku took the passenger seat. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course," Sora told him. "I've driven these loads of times. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Aye, aye," Riku muttered, trying to hide the doubt in his voice.

Sora pressed a button and the engine flickered to life. When the ship began to hover into the air, Sora pushed on the control stick and began to drive the ship into the universe. Once again, they were on their way towards an adventure that would change their lives.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Stranger

**Day 2**

**The Stranger**

Riku pulled the lever on his chair and set it back up to its original setting. He had reclined the chair so he could get a bit of sleep before they reached their destination. Riku rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes and then glanced over at Sora. He hesitated to speak when he saw the look of frustration on Sora's face.

Sora bit his lip and then pressed a random button on the control panel. The ship suddenly lurched to the left. If both the boys hadn't have had their seat belts on, they would have both went flying. "What are you doing?" Riku demanded to know. "Why are we going so slow?"

"I don't know Riku. Something just randomly started to beep. I tried to figure out what it was so I pressed every button but it never stopped. I don't know what's happening. This has never happened before," Sora panicked, trying to keep himself calm which wasn't working out well.

"Hang on," Riku told him, glancing at screen on the control panel. It showed an arrow pointing to either the F or the E. Unfortunately, it was pointing to the E, and Riku knew too well that that meant that the ship was empty.

Sora saw Riku gazing at the screen and gasped. "I think we're out of fuel!"

"I didn't even know that this thing ran on fuel!"

"If there's one thing that I learned in that painful Technology class at school, it's that most flying devices such as planes, jets, and different kinds of ships always run on fuel!"

"You actually _learned _something?!" Riku gasped in disbelief.

"That was cold, Riku!" Sora looked hurt.

"I'm sorry," Riku apologized. "But, what are we supposed to do if this is out of fuel? What's the ship going to~" The ship came to a pause.

Both the boys froze. "Riku, don't tell me. . ."

"Yes, Sora, I think that the ship's going to fall." As if on cue, the ship began to fall at a rapid speed.

"I told you not to tell me!" Sora cried. "We're gonna die!"

"No we aren't!" Riku protested.

"Yes we are!"

"Sora, stay calm!"

"How can I be calm!? We're falling into nothingness!" Sora looked over at Riku and Riku looked at Sora. Both of them began to scream as they fell out of the sky.

The Gummi Ship crashed into the ground and did a few flips before it finally stopped. Sora and Riku both groaned when the ship finally stopped.

"Are you. . . Are you okay?" Riku asked, facing Sora.

Sora nodded. He looked back at Riku. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. But, I think that we're upside down."

"I think that we are too," Riku agreed. He unhooked his seat belt and let himself fall to the floor which was now the ceiling of the ship. When he stood up, Sora's face was right next to his, but upside down. Pausing for a moment, Riku finally directed, "Sora, unhook your seat belt. I'll catch you when you fall."

Sora did as he was told. When he fell, Riku caught him and then steadied Sora as he got to his feet. "Thanks," Sora said.

"No problem."

Sora glimpsed at the damage inside the ship. The lights had all been shattered; the only light left was flickering on and off. The control panel and all the buttons were smashed, letting small bursts of electrical energy zap every so often. "I doubt that this will ever work again," Sora sighed.

"You got that right. This is the damage on the inside. . . The outside has to be even worse." Riku turned to Sora and saw that he was grinning. "What has you so happy?"

"As dangerous as that was," Sora began, "that was _wicked. _I mean, that was totally _awesome_. You have to agree with me Riku. We have to do that again sometime."

"That was totally _not _awesome," Riku disagreed. "We almost died. How can you think that that was fun?"

"Come on, Riku. It's not every day that someone crash lands a ship while they're in it and gets to tell the tale."

Riku sighed. "Sometimes I think that you do these things intentionally just so you can have a story to tell."

"Riku, you have to admit that it was just a little fun, right?"

Riku grinned. "Well, I suppose that it was kind of cool. And, it will give us a story to tell once we're back home."

Sora got on his hands and knees and crawled out of the broken windshield of the ship. He was careful not to stick his hands in any of the shattered glass. Riku followed behind him. Both friends looked at their surroundings after they left the safety inside their ship.

"I think we're here," Sora said, gazing around. The place they were at definitely was ruled by the Darkness. The sky was dark with black clouds looming around. There wasn't a sign of the sun, only a large full moon was noticeable in the sky. A cool breeze would blow every once in awhile but besides that, the air was still. The two of them were standing in the middle of what looked like a forest. The Gummi Ship had torn down a lot of the trees and had certainly made a lot of noise when it crashed.

Riku blinked. "This is definitely the place. Listen Sora, we should get out of here."

"But Riku, why? We just got here."

"No, I mean we should get out of this area. Wherever we are, whatever lives here was sure to hear that noise and will by all odds come to investigate. If they see us, who knows what they'll do," Riku explained.

"You're right. Which way do you think we should~"

Riku summoned his Keyblade and held it up threateningly. "Who's there?!"

"Riku, who is it?" Sora whispered.

"I don't know. I heard something. . . It was coming from over there," Riku whispered back, motioning his head towards the trees. Sora listened intently and then jumped when he heard a stick break. He summoned his Keyblade also, pointing it in the same direction as Riku.

"If you don't show yourself, we won't hesitate to take you down," Riku told the stranger. "But, if you cope with us and tell us who you are, we'll show you mercy. Your choice."

There was no response.

"There's no use in hiding and pretending that you're not there," Riku went on. "I can _see_ you. You're behind the third tree to the left just in front of us."

Sora squinted and searched the trees. _I don't see anyone. . . Wait. . ._ Before Sora could get a good look at the stranger, he heard footsteps. No doubt, whoever it was was running off. Just before the stranger disappeared into the Darkness of the forest completely, Sora caught a glimpse of yellow. After that, there was nothing but black.

"What was that?" Sora asked.

Riku lowered his Keyblade to his side. "I think that it was a man."

"Does he live here?"

"Most likely."

"What do we do now since someone knows we're here?" Sora questioned.

"We just keep going," Riku replied. "We'll go this way." Riku pointed in the opposite direction from where the man had went.

"Why go this way? Why don't we follow him?" Sora pointed to where the man had gone.

"We don't want trouble now do we? For all we know, he could be very powerful, and dangerous at that," Riku told Sora.

"But we could always catch him and then demand him for answers about this place."

"I still think that it would be safer to just avoid him completely," Riku said.

Sora sighed and then finally agreed. "I guess that you're right. It would be better to play it safe than just go charging in without knowing what's going on." Sora looked around. "So, if we're here, what are we supposed to be looking for?"

Riku shrugged. "I'm not sure. . . Perhaps what's causing all the Darkness. . ."

"Yeah, maybe. I guess that we should just start out by exploring the area," Sora suggested.

Sora and Riku both advanced through the forest. "I'm surprised that we haven't run into anything yet," Riku commented.

"Like what?" Sora asked.

"You know. A Heartless, an animal~"

"Riku. . . Look," Sora whispered.

Riku and Sora both came to a pause. "Or a person," Riku finished when he saw the boy that was standing directly in front of him. His ebony black hair seemed to shine in the Darkness and went well with his gray eyes. He had his hand behind his back and was smiling warmly.

He cocked his head, still smiling. "Hello there. I am Lamont. You two must be Sora and Riku."

Riku wasn't hesitant to summon his Keyblade at point it at the stranger. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"My, my, my, you must be more foolish than you look. I already told you that I am~"

Riku cut him off. "No, why are you here? How do you know our names?"

Lamont laughed. "_Everyone_ here knows who you are."

"How? Who told you about us?" Riku continued to question.

Sora stared at the boy. _That kid looks younger than us. . . If he's younger, then what's he doing here. It's unsafe for a kid his age to be here. Lamont, huh? I wonder what~ wait. . . I know him. . . He's. . . He's. . . _Sora's Keyblade appeared in his hand. "Riku," Sora began through gritted teeth, "he's one of the people who took Kiari. . . He was the one pulling her into the dark portal."

Riku narrowed his eyes at Lamont. Without looking at Sora, he asked, "Sora, are you sure?"

Sora nodded firmly. "Yes. I'm sure."

"Lamont, where _is_ Kiari? What did you do with her?" Riku gripped the handle of his Keyblade harder. "Tell us, _now._"

"Bravo," Lamont congratulated, clapping his hands. "I did not think that Sora was smart enough to figure it out. He is right, I am one of the people who dragged Kiari away into the Darkness."

"Where's Kiari!?" Sora demanded to know, stepping in front of Riku.

"She is in good hands," Lamont answered. "But, I suppose that if you want her, you can come and get her. She is waiting after all. She is crying your name, _Sora_."

Sora's eyes filled with anger. "If you do anything to her I swear that I'll~"

"You will what?" Lamont laughed. "Kill me? I highly doubt that you could."

"I bet I could!" Sora roared, charging at Lamont.

"Sora, wait!" Riku yelled. But, he knew that it wouldn't do any good. Lamont had brought the anger out from inside Sora and it would take a lot to calm him down. Riku quickly ran after Sora, fearing for what Sora might do if his anger grew too much.

Riku grabbed the hood of Sora's jacket and pulled him back, taking the lead. Just as he went to slash at Lamont, Lamont took a step back, avoiding the attack. Riku couldn't see any weapons that Lamont was wearing so he figured that it wouldn't be all that hard to take him down.

Lamont smiled at Riku and then held out his arm. "Sleep," he commanded calmly. Something shifted through the air, making Riku's mind begin to grow fuzzy.

Riku began to stagger on his feet. He stabbed his Keyblade into the ground to keep him steady. _What? Why. . . Why am I so. . . sleepy?_ Falling to his knees, Riku lowered his head and stared at the ground which was now just a blurry set of colors.

Sora got on his hands and knees next to Riku. "Riku! Riku!" he shouted, shaking his friend.

Riku didn't move.

Sora looked up at Lamont. "What did you do to him!?"

"Were you not listening? I simply put him to sleep. . . You will be joining him too, shortly. We're not ready for you yet," Lamont replied.

"What are you~" Sora paused. His head began to feel light. It was as if all of his thoughts disappeared, all of his senses. He eyelids dropped halfway as he slumped over on top of Riku, both of them falling to the ground. _D-Damn it. . . I. . . I can't. . ._ Sora let out a moan.

Lamont was still smiling when his eyes closed.


	3. Chapter 3 - Nightmares

**Day 3**

**Nightmares**

Sora blinked his eyes open. Groaning, he flipped over in bed and put his head under his pillow. It took a few moments for him to realize where he was. He gasped and quickly jumped up. He kicked the blankets off of his bed and then sat up and looked around. _Where. . ? Is this my room. . ? But, why am I here? I was with Ri~Riku! Where is he? _Sora got onto his feet. Just as he went to exit his bedroom, he realized that he was in his pajamas. He grabbed his outfit that was lying on a chair and quickly changed.

He glanced around his bedroom. _Is this place. . . Is this real. . ? The island was supposed to be destroyed. . . That's what King Mickey said. . . But. . . If it was destroyed, then what am I doing here. . ?_

Sora twisted the knob on his bedroom door and found that it was locked. Summoning his Keyblade, he pointed it at he door and listened to the snap that filled the air when the door unlocked. He let his Keyblade materialize away before he entered the hallway.

His house still looked the same. He ran his hand down along the railing as he walked down the short set of stairs and into the living room. To the left was the kitchen, and to the right was the front door. He wondered which he should check out first. He thought about Riku's house next door and then started towards the door.

Sora paused and changed his mind when he heard a noise in the kitchen. _Someone's in the kitchen. . . I wonder who it is. . ._ He paced over and entered the kitchen. His heart sank when he realized that it was Anastasia.

Anastasia was his guardian. She turned to him, her dark eyes blinking. "Oh, you're up. Make yourself useful and get your breakfast and go to school. I have someone coming later and I don't want you getting in the way."

Before Sora could even figure out if Anastasia was a just a figure of his imagination or not, he stated rudely, "Whatever man would want to come over and spend time with you must be a complete idiot."

Anastasia narrowed her eyes at him. "Excuse me? What did you just say?"

Sora paused. He knew what he had just said was a big mistake.

The larger woman stepped towards him. "Did you hear what I asked?"

Sora swallowed and remembered the beatings that Anastasia had given him before. He dreaded to think what this next one was going to be like. He didn't have to wonder for long though. Pain flooded the left side of Sora's face when Anastasia slapped him. He stumbled over one of the chair legs at the kitchen table and fell to the floor. His guardian kicked him in the side several times.

Sora quickly put his hands over his head to shield his face from getting injured. Anastasia frowned at him and then stepped away. "You're lucky because that's all your getting. . . for now. Depending on how I feel later, I might just decide to beat you more."

Tears formed in his eyes. "Why. . ? Why do you do this to me?"

Anastasia smiled mockingly. "You want to know why? Nobody cares about you, Sora. . . You might as well not exist. You're just a toy. . . A toy that I can easily push around."

Sora stared into space, the words that Anastasia had said to him replaying over and over in his mind. A tear fell down his cheek when he realized that she was right. Nobody loved him. Nobody cared about him. The horrible remembrance struck him like a bolt of lightning. He let the tears run down his face, not caring that he was crying. He had done it so many times before that he was used to it.

All the sad memories of his past came flying back to him. His mother was the only person who had truly loved him. Although she was of his faintest memory, he knew that she had beautiful blue eyes just like him and smooth brown hair. Her voice would always calm him when he was afraid. He could still remember the last thing she told him before she left. . .

_"__I promise you Sora, I'll come back. I'll see you again."_

The memory was one that he'd treasure forever. His mother had to leave one day. She never did tell him why. All she said was that she'd be back and then kissed him on the forehead and left with his father. That's when Anastasia came in. She was babysitter back then. When his mother nor his father never returned home, Anastasia was assigned custody over him.

Even now, Sora still wishes and prays every night that his mother will come back to him. He's never lost hope that someday he will be reunited with his beloved mother. . .

But his father was a different story. The truth was, he hated his father. He had never felt anything towards him but hatred. His father never cared of spent any time with him. He was never home either. He had left the same day as his mother had, but hadn't said a word or shown any sign where they were going. That was the last time Sora ever saw either of them. They just vanished after that. Like sparks once they burn out after a fire.

Most of Sora's memories from the past were gone, buried deep within him underneath all the painful memories of sorrow. He could hardly remember anything. All he could recall about his mother was that she looked a lot like him. The only other thing that he could never forget was her name. Sarah Davidson.

As for his father, he was just a blurry image that he can barely make out. Sora couldn't remember what his father looked or even sounded like. His name was even a mystery to him. But he didn't care. He didn't want to remember. Not at all. He didn't want to know him. If he did, it would only bring more sadness. . . It always does. So that's when Sora decided long ago that he never wanted to see his father again.

Sora glanced up at Anastasia and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Anastasia shook her head. "You're so weak. . ." she muttered stepping away from him. She continued, "You know I hate you, right?"

Sora slowly stood up, leaning against the wall, trying to fight back more tears that threatened to spill overs his cheeks.

"To be honest, I kind of envy your parents. . . They just left you behind with me. Lucky lovers, even they knew that dealing with you wasn't worth it."

"Just shut up!" Sora yelled. "I don't care! I don't care any more. . ."

"It's no wonder your parents didn't want you. When I came here, he told me that you would be a good son and never misbehave. Well I can see now that he was wrong. You're the worst son anyone could ask for," Anastasia began.

Sora sent Anastasia and icy glare, his eyes starting to refill with tears once again. "What did I ever do to you. . ? Why do you treat me like this. . ?"

Anastasia shook her head. "Nothing. I just love to put you down. It's pretty amusing to me," she answered simply. "You're the weakest boy I've ever seen. You don't even curse. You're just weak. You're like a little school girl. You probably get it from your mother."

That was all Sora could take. He couldn't let Anastasia badmouth his mother any longer. He took a step forward and gave her a shove. She slammed into the wall, a look of shock on her face. "Just shut the hell up!" Sora yelled. "I hate you! You're just a bitch! I've had it! I'm leaving!" Sora didn't care that he was crying. He let the tears fall down his cheeks as he marched out of the kitchen and then out of the front door of his house.

He stomped past his mailbox and then out onto the road. Fog was enveloping the island, making it hard to see his surroundings. But he knew where he was heading. He was running to the beach. Every time he was mad or depressed, he would sit by the surf. The waves would almost touch him, as if wanting to wash away all of his anger and pain.

_I'm not weak. . . I'm not weak. . . I'm not weak. . ._

Sora found himself repeating that phrase to himself not only in his mind but out loud too. He had to convince himself that Anastasia was wrong.

When Riku came to, he glanced over to see his butler say, "Sweet dreams, Young Master Riku. Sleep well." He closed the door to the bedroom and never came back.

Riku blinked and looked at his ceiling, a realization dawning on him. He was back home, in his bedroom. When he tried to sit up, he found that the couldn't move his body. _What. . . What the hell? Why can't I move? Wait. . . more importantly, why am I here, in my room? What about Sora!? Where is he!? We were both fighting Lamont. . . and then I think I fell asleep. What happened to Sora? I have to find him. But I can't move. . . How in the hell am I supposed to find him!?_

Suddenly, Riku sat up. When he went to speak aloud, his mouth wouldn't move. _Why can't I speak? Why. . . Why is my body moving on its own!? I. . . I can't stop! _Riku slowly got out of bed. When he stood up, he wanted to raise an eyebrow. _Why does everything look bigger? Or. . . Did I get smaller? _

Involuntarily, Riku began to pace towards his bedroom door. His hand reached out and twisted the knob to his bedroom door. He slowly advanced down the quiet corridor. _Where am I going? Why can't I stop? _He finally came to a pause, and turned to a lone mirror in the hallway.

Riku wanted to gasp. _What. . ? Why. . ? Why am I. . ?_ He stared at his reflection for a long while until he realized that what he saw was correct. He was younger._A lot _younger, about five or six years old.

If he could of, Riku would have reached up and touched his face. He would have ran his fingers through his now short hair to make sure that what he was seeing was real. He didn't feel younger, but he was definitely a lot shorter than he once was. _No wonder everything looks bigger. . . But why do I look like this? What happened to me? Why am I younger? _Riku froze when he focused on the reflection of his aquamarine eyes.

They were full of Darkness. Devoid of any emotion that expressed life and sanity.

_What's. . . What's happening to me? Why do I look like that. . ?_ Riku his body stepped away from the mirror, he felt something magically appear in his hand. From the familiar feeling and grip of the item, he could tell that it was his Keyblade.

After taking a few corridors, Riku finally found himself walking down the large staircase that stood in the center of the house. Once he made it down the stairs, he headed to the left towards the kitchen. When he entered the room, he immediately focused on the man who was standing at the kitchen counter just across from him. He was really tall and broad, his muscles huge in comparison to Riku's.

Fear found itself into Riku's system. _Dad! What. . ? But he's supposed to be. . ._

Even though Riku couldn't feel anything on his body, he still felt the awful feeling of his heart sinking deep into his chest. After a few moments, the man turned around. "Riku? I though' Sebastian put ya ta bed yo. . . Riku?"

_Dad. . ._ Riku thought. _Dad. . . Why are you. . ?_ Riku saw the change his in father's eyes.

"Yo. . ." his father began, "Yo Riku. . . What the matter with ya? What wrong. . . yo?"

If Riku had control over his body, his eyes would have widened and he would have fell to his knees at the scenario that was taking place. _No. . . No. . . This. . . This can't be happening. . . Why is this happening to me again. . ? No. . . Stop. . . Stop. . . Dad. . . No. . ._

Riku held his Keyblade out in front of him. He took a small step forward, his father backing up against the kitchen counter. "Riku. . ? Yo man. . . Stop. . . Riku!"

He advanced towards his father, his Keyblade gripped firmly in his hand.

Riku wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn't. His body wouldn't go with his will. _No! Stop! Stop! _

Blood splattered onto the white tiles of the kitchen floor. Riku watched in horror as his Keyblade sliced through the tender skin of his father's neck and then started hacking away at his already blood-covered chest. His father's body slowly went limp on the floor, but Riku kept slashing and slashing.

Riku could still feel the urge to puke even though he wasn't in control of his actions. He pleaded over and over for everything to stop, but it never did. The true foulness of Riku's dark soul was starting to come back to him.

His mother was dead.

His brother had disappeared.

He killed his father.

Riku could feel the tears that had started to spring up at the corners of his eyes. Every dark thought of his past started to flow back into his mind. He bit his lip hard, hard enough to make it bleed. He didn't want to remember. He wanted to forget. He knew that if he couldn't forget, the suffering and the guilt would make him rot. Riku knew way to well that everything he did was a waste. He tried to become stronger so he could protect what mattered. But every time he'd thought that he'd gotten stronger, something precious would be taken away from him.

He only had one thing in his life that mattered to him more than anything else. There was only one thing that had kept him holding onto his sanity for the last ten years. And he wasn't about to lose that last bit of sanity now. . . Not on some illusion that had already been written within the past.

When Riku forced himself to focus back on the scenario from his past that was taking place, he realized that his Keyblade had finally stopped hacking away at his long dead father. Instead, he was staring at his blood-dripping blade. He knew that this was where he had stopped to stare at what he'd done. . . Where he'd first felt the shame of taking a life.

Riku could feel himself falling onto his knees. He heard his Keyblade clatter onto the floor next to him. His father's blood had pooled around his knees. And then he began to cry. The tears spilled down his face rapidly, the guilt starting to eat away at him.

He heard the rushing sound of footsteps behind him and his butler ran into the kitchen. "Young Ma~" He fell silent, his eyes falling onto the dead man. "Master!" he gasped, rushing over to his aid. Before checking on Riku, he knelt down next to his father and checked for a pulse. He blinked a few times when he didn't get any heartbeat and then quickly turned to Riku. "Young Master, who did this?! Tell me!" He gave Riku a small shake.

Riku knew that he had shaken his head. "I. . . I don't know. . ." he heard his low, childish voice reply slowly. "I. . . I think. . . I think I did. . . Oh Dad! I'm sorry. . . I'm so sorry!" He broke out into sobs, wrapping his arms around his butler for comfort.

It felt as if an iron fist was gripping Riku's heart, squeezing it, waiting how long it would take for it to burst. He knew that if he closed his eyes, the terrible scenario would still be there. He took a chance and tried to close his eyes, tried to stop the memory from further playing. Surprisingly, it worked.

He opened his eyes. He looked at his hands. They were back to normal. He touched his face and examined his long silver hair. He was back to his original self.

For as thankful as he was that he was finally out of the other scene, Riku slumped onto his knees. He had now been reminded of how he had killed his father. He wanted to forget about how he let the Darkness into his heart. How he let it take control and use him freely. How he let it kill his father before he could gain control back over his body.

The shame he had felt that day had came back to him. The guilt was starting to eat him alive. He had to forget. He _needed _to forget about it. Thinking of his father's death brought him to think about his mother and brother and as for them, he'd just rather forget about them too.

He had to think of something else.

Something else important quickly replaced all thoughts about his past. One question haunted his mind. Where was Sora?

Riku stood up and looked around. He was in a pitch black room. No Light was able to be seen. Riku summoned his Keyblade and started walking straight ahead. "Sora!" he shouted. "Sora! Where are you? Answer me!"

There was no reply.

"Damn it," Riku cursed. "I should have known that we'd get separated." He took a few more steps forward and froze when the blackness of the room began to melt away and spin into a bunch of different colors. Riku had to close his eyes to keep himself from getting dizzy.

When he opened them back up, confusion racked his brain. _What in the hell. . ? How am I. . ? What am I doing back in my bedroom?_ He glanced around. _Well. . . Whatever the case, I have to find Sora. . . If we're on Destiny Islands. . . Where would he be. . ?_

Riku smiled to himself. _He should be at the beach._

Sora stepped onto the sandy beach. He plopped down onto the sand and ran his fingers through it. _Maybe I should have went to Riku's house instead. . . Maybe he was there. . . Perhaps I should go back. . ._

Sora spun around when he heard footsteps. "Hello?" he asked slowly. "Who's there?"

There was no reply.

"Riku? Riku, is that you?"

The footsteps continued to sound into the air again. Sora looked around. The fog was making it impossible to tell where anything was. "Riku! If that's you it's not funny! I was worried about you. . ."

A figure stepped out of the fog. Sora had to squint to make out who it was.

"Kiari. . ?" he asked. He knew it was her. But what was she doing here?

Kiari smiled back at him. "Hello Sora."

Sora stood up. He walked over to her. "Where were you?" he asked. "Riku and I were looking for you. . ." For as many questions that he wanted to ask, that was the only thing he could manage to get out.

"Thank you for coming after me," Kiari replied. "Everything's fine now. . . Now that you're here." She wrapped her arms around him. Sora returned the favor by hugging her back.

"Where's Riku?"

"Hmm? I don't know. . ."

Suddenly, a dark voice spoke out. "_I'mright here_."

Sora looked over Kiari's shoulder and smiled. "Oh Riku! There you are! I was wondering where you were!" He pulled away from Kiari and put her arm around her shoulder. "Look who I found! It's Kiari, and she's fine!"

Riku didn't look the least bit interested. The look on his face was one of anger, and his eyes read complete disappointment. Sora took notice of it. "Riku. . ? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No. . . Nothing at all." When Riku stepped towards him, he realized that his Keyblade was in his hand.

"Riku. . . Riku, what's wrong? You can tell me." Sora and Kiari both took a step back. Riku approached them and then swiftly grabbed Kiari's arm. He pulled her towards himself with force.

"R-Riku! Let go of my arm!" Kiari protested.

Riku narrowed his eyes at Sora. "You touch her one more time and I'll kill you."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "What. . ? But Riku, what are you saying?"

"Kiari belongs to me," Riku told him. "Anyone who comes between her and I will fall to my blade."

"But Riku. . . We're. . . We were just. . . What is the matter with you?! Why are you acting like this! Something happened. . . What was it? Tell me Riku. Something happened to make you act this way," Sora yelled.

Riku shook his head. "Nothing happened. I've just been sick of you, that's all. Kiari belongs to me and only me. She's all I need!"

Sora's eyes widened. "Wha~"

"Just get the hell out of here Sora!" Riku screamed. "We don't need you!"

Each word cut deep into Sora's heart. Riku loved Kiari. . . They were together. . . He wasn't needed. . .

Sora knew that something was wrong, but he didn't want to except it. Something inside of Sora's heart snapped. He didn't know what emotion to respond with; sadness, anger, bliss. He chose one of the most powerful out of the three.

Anger.

The words just began to fly out. "Oh yeah! Well what if I told you that Kiari was mine, huh?!" He reached forward and grabbed Kiari by her other wrist and yanked her towards himself. He placed himself in front of her and looked Riku directly in the eye, his Keyblade appearing in his hand. "What if Kiari wanted to be with me? What would you do then? I dare you to tell me."

Riku frowned. "I would kill you and take her for myself."

Sora narrowed his eyes. "Good luck with that. Looks like you're just going to have kill me to get to her."

"I'm game."

"Bring it on." Sora gave Riku a shove. The larger boy barely budged. He gripped his hand around Sora's arm and then gave him a toss. Sora flipped over Riku's shoulder and was sent crashing into the sand. For as soft as the ground was, the impact still hurt and the breath was knocked out of him.

Sora slowly sat up to see Riku staring down at him, an unhappy look on his face. Backing away, Sora began, "Riku. . . Please. . . Stop. . . I didn't mean to say what I said. . . I was just mad. . . I don't know what I was thinking. . ."

Riku leaned over and picked the younger boy up by the neck. He held him into the air. Sora kicked his legs out and tried to release himself from Riku's grasp, but he knew that it was useless. Riku was much more stronger than him.

"Listen to me Sora," Riku hissed, "if you don't leave Kiari and I alone, I'll have to kill you. You see, I thought that you'd get the message a long time ago, but unfortunately you didn't. You're so naïve. I should have known. Well, nobody likes you and nobody cares about you. Not me. Not Kiari. No one. Live with it."

Sora stopped struggling. He wanted to hear what Riku had to say to him. He bit his lip. "So. . . All those years we spent together. . . All of these years, you've never liked me? I want to know right now, what did you think of me?"

Riku blinked. "That's easy. I've hated you. You're too nice for your own good, and you're just plain annoying. No one could like you. I could hardly stand it. I only spent time around you because of Kiari."

"So. . . Everything we've been through. . . Every single thing. . . It's all been a lie?"

Riku nodded. "To be honest, it would be great if you just disappeared. Better yet. . . You should just die."

Sora's heart shattered. Everything that he thought cared about him was a lie. Kiari. . . Even Riku. . .

Riku smiled and released the grip he had on Sora. Once he was set back onto his own two legs, he slumped to the ground, his eyes full of an emotionless void.

Riku laughed. "Oh, I love it when you're sad! It just shows how weak you really are!"

Sora hugged himself, trying to bury the thought that nobody loved him deep within his broken heart. He just couldn't bring himself to think that Riku was lying. He had sounded so serious. To think that their friendship was fake. . . For all that time. . . Everything was just a lie.

The more Sora thought about it, the more false it sounded. He knew then that it had to be a lie. He had fallen asleep just before he arrived here on his home island which was supposed to be destroyed. He finally figured it out.

He was in a dream.

Everything that was happening was fake, just based on his sad memories of his past.

Sora smiled and stood up.

Riku took a step back, surprised by Sora's smile. "Why. . . Why are you smiling? Are you happy that no one likes you!?"

Sora shook his head. "This is a dream. This is all fake. I should have known. You'd never say anything like that to me and mean it. We're best friends, and nothing will change that. I know that you wouldn't lie about something that important."

When Sora smiled, his head began to pound. He felt light-headed and the strength soon left his body. He looked up at Riku who melted away into someone else.

"Very well figured out. I guess that you are not as stupid as you look," the boy said, looking down at Sora.

Sora focused his now blurry vision and finally realized that it was Lamont. "Good job," he congratulated. "But who knows how well poor Riku will figure it out. If you were smart enough to figure it out, then I may just have to make it a tad more heart-breaking. I think that I have stalled for enough time. Now. . . Sleep. . ."

His mind grew cloudy, and then Sora fell into a deep sleep once again.

Riku arrived at the beach. "Sora! Sora, where are you? Are you here? Sora!" When there was no answer, Riku sighed. "Damn it, Sora. . . Where are you. . ? Where have you gone?"

"Riku? Riku, is that you?"

"Sora?" Riku turned around. When he saw his spiky-haired friend, a smile spread out across his face. "Sora!"

Sora ran towards him. He wrapped his arms around Riku and pulled him into a hug. "Riku! There you are! I was starting to worry!"

"I'm so glad that you're safe," Riku smiled, giving the younger boy a squeeze. "I was afraid that I wouldn't find you. Do you know what's going on here?"

Sora shook his head. "No, I don't. But I do know one thing."

"What?"

Sora smiled and stood on the tips of his toes to whisper into Riku's ear. "I'm _not _Sora."

His eyes widening, Riku quickly took a step back away from his friend. "Wha~" His heart sank deep within his chest. The boy who stood in front of him was no longer his friend. It was someone else. Someone of whom Riku thought he'd never see again.

The boy cocked his head. "Come on, Riku. Don't you recognize me?"

The fear and terror found itself back into Riku's heart, and he knew that his face showed it. The boy took a step closer to him. "I mean, Riku. You should know me. We _are _brother's after all."

"No. . ." Riku shook his head. "You can't be him. . . He's gone. . . He. . . He can't be here. . . _You_ can't be here. . ."

"So you do remember me," the boy replied. "I'm so glad! Oh, how I've missed you. . . Though, I am confused. . . Why didn't you come looking for me?"

"Stop. . . No. . . Don't. . ." Riku shook his head violently.

"Why don't you call me by my first name. Huh, Riku? Come on," the boy replied, his aquamarine eyes and silver hair mimicking Riku's almost exactly. "I'm sure that out of all the things you have tried to forget, my name at least should still be there."

Tears rolled down Riku's face. "Eric. . ."

The boy smiled.

"Eric. . . How. . . I thought you were dead. . ."

"I am dead Riku. But I came back. . . I came back to take you with me."

Riku blinked. "Wha. . . But. . . But why?"

"Well, you didn't answer me before. Why didn't you come looking for me? I'm sure that you're strong enough now, aren't you?" Eric asked.

Riku froze when he remembered the promise had made to his older brother all those years ago. The memory played over and over in his head as well as his voice:

_"__Eric, don't go!"_

_"__I'll be back. Don't worry. Maybe when you're older, you can come with me. What do you say, Riku?"_

_"__Yeah! When I'm older and stronger, I'll come looking for you and then we can both travel around together! I promise!"_

Tears blurred Riku's vision. The truth was, he hadn't forgotten about the promise, it's just that he didn't want to leave his home. He didn't want to leave Sora behind. . . He knew that without each other, they'd be nothing. Sora had a terrible past, and although he had never told anyone, Riku could see it behind Sora's smile sometimes. He knew that his friend had experienced pain, but he didn't know what it was.

Eric sighed. "Looks like you tried to forget about me too. . . I should have known. . . You can't depend on anyone any more. . ."

Riku closed his eyes, a tear rolling down his cheek. He knew that no one could depend on him. His entire life was made up of making, and then breaking promises. And now he had just done it again.

"Well Riku," Eric began, "it was nice seeing you again, but this time, I'm taking you with me, so get ready to die."

Riku didn't bother opening his eyes. "Just kill me. . ." he whispered. "It doesn't matter anymore. . ." But just as Riku said those words, he thought of Sora. How could he possibly be with Sora if he was dead?

Eric summoned his Keyblade. "Have fun on the other side. . ." he hissed, pointing his weapon at Riku.

Riku quickly changed his mind. When his brother went to stab him, he lurched himself to the side, grabbed his brother's Keyblade, and then impaled him. Eric gasped in pain. His eyes showed the same emotion.

"R-Riku. . . How. . . How could you. . ?" Eric gasped. "How. . . I. . ." His brother fell backward onto the ground, his blood beginning to pool around him. His body went still and his eyes slid close.

Riku blinked, trying to take in what he'd done. His heart began to race when the awful truth hit him. He had killed his brother.

"No. . . No. . . No! No!" Riku screamed over and over again. He clutched his head and screamed even louder.


	4. Chapter 4 - Memories From the Past

**Day 4**

**Memories From the Past**

When Sora opened his eyes, he stared into two bright green eyes.

He jumped and blinked rapidly. His vision was still a little blurry from his slumber and he wondered if his eyes were deceiving him. He could hear a noise and immediately recognized it as footsteps. He could tell that they were running away. Sora sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked around and saw a figure disappear off into the forest. Standing up, Sora called, "Hey, wait! Who are you? Wait!" He glanced down at Riku who was still sound asleep and quickly ran off after whoever it was.

He could hear the crunching of the earth beneath his feet as well as the strangers. "Wait!" Sora shouted. "Wait! I'm not gonna hurt you! I just want to know who you are!"

Sora stopped when everything around him fell silent. He thought about whoever he had been chasing. _I'm almost positive that that was the same person that was following Riku and I before. It's a man for sure. . . But who is it. . ?_

A loud, shrilling scream filled the air. Sora's gasped and spun around from where he had come. "Riku!" he shouted. He wanted to run off, but he still wanted to know who had been following him. He looked back and forth, decided whether to search for the man a while longer or to run back to Riku's aid.

"You'd better go back and check on your friend. If Lamont was the one who put him into that lifeless sleep, then he must be going through something like a living Hell."

Sora blinked and looked around. He didn't see anyone, but he knew for a fact that the mysterious man had to have said it.

"Wait. . . Who are you?" Sora asked. "Where are you? Show yourself!" He tried to sound as threatening as Riku but he knew that he was failing miserably.

Riku's tortured scream filled the creepy forest again. Sora bit his lip. He had to help his dear friend. He took a few steps back just before he ran off to where he had once been. _That man. . . Who was he? Why is he here? Why is following us? I want to know. . . But I have to help Riku first! What could possibly be happening to him!?_

Sora raced up to Riku who was on the ground, curled up in a ball. His hands were clutching his head and all the while, he was screaming. His cheeks and eyes were wet with tears.

Sora slid onto his knees. "Riku! Riku!"

Riku's sad, fearful eyes slid onto Sora and widened. He gave Sora shove away and sat up quickly, getting onto his feet. His Keyblade materialized into his hand.

"Riku!" Sora cried, jumping up. "What are you doing? Stop!"

"You bastard. . . I'll kill you! Stop changing!" Riku charged at him. Sora summoned and held up his Keyblade protectively. The two Keyblades clashed against each others.

"Riku! Snap out of it! What's the matter with you!?" Riku answered with another swipe of his Keyblade. _Damn. . . Something must have happened to him in his dream! What could it have been. . ?_

Riku slashed at him again and Sora quickly grabbed his arm when he stepped out of the way. He yanked Riku's Keyblade out of his friends grasp and then shoved him to the ground. Riku tried desperately to get away but Sora kept him secure with everything he had.

"Riku! Stop struggling! It's me! Sora! I'm not going to hurt you! Just calm down!" His voice softened. "It was just a dream. It's all fake. Snap out of it Riku. You'll be fine. I'm here. . . I'm real and I'm not about to let anything hurt you. You hear me?"

Riku stared into Sora's eyes deeply and then asked in a low voice, "Sora. . ? Is. . . Is it really you?"

Sora nodded. "I'm the real one. Don't worry." He stopped pushing against his silver-haired friend and sat up as did Riku.

Riku looked around. "This is real. . . Right. . ?"

Sora nodded. "I promise it is. Trust me."

Riku smiled and wiped the tears from his eyes. To Sora's surprise, he pulled him into a hug. "Thank you Sora. . . Thank you. . ."

Wrapping his arms around his best friend, Sora smiled back. "It was nothing. . . But please. . . Can you tell me what happened? What caused you to lash out like that?"

Riku pulled away. He couldn't look Sora in the eye. He was silent.

Sora sighed. "Maybe if I go first it will help you figure out how to tell me. Well. . . How can I put this. . . You see, my dream was based on what's happening to me now, in reality. I was back home. . . with Anastasia."

Riku cringed; he had never been a fan of Sora's guardian.

"Well," Sora continued, "she did the usual. Insulted and yelled at me. . . But then I told her off and left. I went to the beach after that. I ran into Kiari. . . And then you came. . . You weren't yourself. You were aggressive and mean to me. . . And you wanted Kiari for yourself."

Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it was strange," Sora commented. "But after that, you started saying awful things to me. But then I realized that you'd never say those types of things to be because you're my best friend and then that's when I realized that it was all just a dream. I told you that it was all fake, and then you transformed into Lamont. You know, that kid that forced us to dream in the first place. He put me back to sleep and then I woke up back here. . ." Sora decided to leave out the part about talking to the man that had been following him. He didn't want Riku to have to worry.

Riku blinked. "You figured that out on your _own_?"

Sora nodded. "I bet you thought that I wasn't that smart!"

Riku grinned. "Well. . . You can be a bit slow at times. . ."

"Riku!"

"I'm just kidding. . . Sorry," Riku apologized.

"Some kind of friend you are. . . But I guess I'll forgive you. I mean, why wouldn't I?" Sora's smile turned into a more serious expression. "But Riku. . . Aside from that. . . Will you please tell me what your dream was about?"

Riku was silent.

"Please?"

Riku sighed sadly. "Okay. . . Someone should know. . . Someone other than myself. . . But please, promise me that we'll still be best friends when I'm finished. . . Promise me."

Sora smiled and placed his hand on Riku's shoulder. "I promise. Now tell me. . . It's. . ." Sora hesitated before he said, "It's better to let things out."

"All right. . . I'll tell you. . ." Taking a deep breath, Riku began. "Well, my dream was the opposite of yours partially. It took place during my past. I was younger. Around the age when I met you. I was in my house and then I started pacing down the hallway. It's hard to describe. . . But I had my mind, but I couldn't control my body and I couldn't speak. Well, when I caught sight of myself in the mirror, I had no expression. . . My whole being was dark and unresponsive. . . It was _dark._ I entered the kitchen. . . And saw my Dad."

Sora blinked. "Your dad? I didn't know you had a dad. . . I've never seen him~" He silenced himself, wanting to know what would happen next.

"Anyway," Riku continued, "he was there. . . And then, without warning. . . I attacked him."

Sora couldn't stop his expression from changing.

"His blood was everywhere. . . I just wouldn't stop attacking him with my Keyblade. . . I finally stopped, I found myself on the kitchen floor, kneeling in his blood. He. . . He was dead. . ."

Sora's eyes widened. He could see Riku's eyes filling with tears when he went on, "My butler found me and tried to help. . . But it was already to late. . . My father was long gone. . ." Riku rubbed his eyes. "It didn't take me long to realize that I was the one responsible for my father's death."

Sora stayed quiet. He didn't dare to interrupt now.

"After that, everything just seemed to melt away and then I was myself again, standing in my bedroom. I ran to the beach knowing that you'd be there. I found you, and you were yourself. But then you changed into someone else. . ." Riku's voice trailed off and he placed a hand over his face.

"Who was it?" Sora pressed. "Please Riku, tell me. . ."

Riku took a deep breath and revealed, "It was my brother, Eric."

"You. . . You have a brother?" Sora asked. How could Riku have someone close to him like a brother and not know about him?

"He was trying to kill me. . . He wanted to take me down with him. . . I wanted him to kill me, to end my suffering. . . But then. . ." Riku managed a weak smile. "I thought about you and decided that I had to live. Who else would look after you if I wasn't around, right? Well, I stabbed Eric and then I started to freak out. . . But it was just a dream I now realize. . . I didn't really kill my older brother. . ." Riku finished, turning to Sora.

Sora stared at Riku in shock. "Did. . . Did all of that happen in your past. . ?"

Riku nodded and buried his face in his hands. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "I wanted to forget. . . I never wanted to remember. . . I cast those bad memories aside and now they're back. . . That damn Lamont. . . Damn him. . . Damn him for making me remember. . . Damn him back to the Hell he belongs in. . ."

"Riku. . ." The spiky-haired boy leaned over and wrapped his arms around his friend. "I'm so sorry that I made you tell me. . . It's my fault if telling someone was causing you pain and grief. . ."

Riku shook his head. "No. . . Like I said, someone besides me should know. . . I feel a little better now. . . What you said, about letting it out, it does help. . . Thanks. . ."

Sora couldn't even smile. "I don't know why I said that. . . I've never shared my past with anyone either. . . Do. . . Do you want to know about my past? About my mother and. . ." Sora choked on his words. "And my f-father. . ?"

Riku nodded. "If you'd like to tell me. . . Then yes. Go on."

Sora took a deep breath and explained the story about his loving mother and abandoning father.

Riku was silent. It was hard to accept that you'd killed your father, but knowing that truthful fact that your father abandoned you and didn't want you was painful too.

"Riku. . . I wanted to forget too. . . But I'm reminded of it every single day. . . I can't forget. . . I can't!" He pulled his friend into an embrace and Riku hugged him back.

Once the two boys finally pulled their emotions together, they stood up on there own two feet. "We have to move on," Riku finally decided. "We can't just sit and mope around forever. We have to find Kiari."

Sora nodded, his mood brightening. "Yeah! But, where do you suppose she is?"

"I have no idea. . ."

"Well, right before I fell asleep again in my dream, Lamont said something about him stalling for enough time. . ."

"Stalling?" Riku narrowed his eyes in thought. "Well, looks like they needed more time for something. That means that they have something in store for us."

"Like what?"

"Knowing the Darkness, something bad."

Sora nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right."

"We should head out."

"I agree."


	5. Chapter 5 - An Unexpected Attack

**Day 5**

**An Unexpected Attack**

Riku sighed when Sora stumbled over a rock and ran into him. "You could try to pick up your feet once in awhile."

"It's just that my feet hurt. . . We've been walking all night." Sora took a deep breath and continued, "But still, that doesn't matter. I don't care how tired I am, we have to find and save Kiari from those other guys!"

Riku couldn't help but to smile.

Sora paced along, glancing side to side. "Hey Riku, do you have any idea where we are? I mean, everything looks the same."

"Well, I'm not sure. But still, we should be about at the border of this forest I would think. We have been walking for some time now." They trudged on until Riku stopped his friend.

"What's the matter?" Sora asked.

"Listen."

Sora opened his ears and listened intently on his surroundings. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly," Riku replied. "It's too quiet. There's something wrong here."

Sora had to admit, without any sound or noises coming from the forest, it was pretty creepy. Blinking, Sora turned and gaped at a small murky hole that had started forming in the ground. The hole was a black abyss. Small, bulging yellow eyes were the only things that were noticeable on the Heartless that were crawling out of the dark pit.

"Riku! Look!"

Riku turned around and gritted his teeth. Dozens of the holes began to cover the area, releasing more of the nightly creatures. He slashed at one when it came too close, watching the captivated heart float into the sky and then disappear. "They're everywhere."

"There must be thousands of them!" Sora gasped.

"Well, we have to fight and annihilate them all."

"But there's so many. . ."

Riku smirked. "What's the matter, Sora? Afraid?"

Sora quickly shook his head. "No! I'm just disappointed. Why couldn't there be more? I wanted a challenge!"

Raising an eyebrow, Riku replied, "A challenge, huh? Well, how about this? The one who takes down more Heartless is the winner."

"And the loser?"

"The winner gets to decide what the loser has to do. It can be anything."

"_Anything?_"

"Anything."

Sora smiled. "You're on. But I hope that you're ready to lose. I'm gonna pass with flying colors."

"Good luck." Riku charged off into the horde of Heartless that had surrounded them.

Sora ran in the opposite direction, slashing Heartless left and right. He whipped his Keyblade around swiftly, taking out every Heartless in his path. As he fought, he realized that he had wandered far off from where Riku had been fighting.

_Riku. . ? I wonder if he's all right. . . Bah, he's fine. If anything, Riku should be worried about me. I'm the one who usually screws up. . . _Sora took a step out of the way to avoid a swipe from a Heartless._Where are they all coming from? There must be something that's attracting them. But what? _

A Heartless rose up from the ground just beneath his feet. Sora quickly stepped out of the way, only to succeed in tripping over another Heartless. He fell to the ground with a thud, sighing in embarrassment. "This is ridiculous! That's it! I've had it with all of you Heartless!" Sora gripped his Keyblade tightly in his hand and then raced towards all the Heartless that lurked beside him. He slashed back and forth, taking out every Shadow he saw. Sora came to a pause and sighed in exhaustion and relief at the same time. There was only one left.

Sora smiled and advanced towards it. Besides, what could one Heartless possibly do? As he stepped closer and closer to the Heartless, it looked even more pitiful. Sora thought about it. Why were the Heartless evil? What had they done that made them so bad? They were just small, weak beings of the Darkness that could easily be controlled.

Then a thought sprang into Sora's mind. What if _he _could control one? Mainly, anyone who could use the power of Darkness could make them their toys, but what about a resident of the Light? He decided to try.

"Hey. . ." Sora didn't know to even start. "So uh. . . Can you speak?"

Expecting the Heartless to jump at him, he thrust his Keyblade in front of himself. But the Heartless didn't jump. It just stood there, staring into Sora's blue eyes with its yellow, bulging ones.

Cautiously taking a step forward, he continued, "So, I guess you guys can't speak, huh? Well, can you shake?" Taking a deep breath, he held out his hand. If something went wrong, he could lose his entire arm, but he had to chance it. He wanted to know if he could control the so called beings of Darkness.

Next, something happened that Sora couldn't believe. The Heartless took his hand and gave it a slight shake. Not wanting to lose his concentration, he quickly shook its hand back. "Now. . . Uh. . . I want you to go and stand over by that tree? Can you do that for me?"

The Heartless didn't respond at first, but then finally turned itself around and paced over to the tree that Sora had motioned his head to. It turned around and faced Sora, staring at him.

The spiky-haired boy smiled. He was communicating with a Heartless. It was listening to him, obeying him. "You're listening to me. . ? But how. . ? You mean all this time. . . You could~" Sora gasped when a knife struck the Heartless, killing it instantly and making it disappear.

He froze where he stood. The knife had come from behind him, which meant that someone was there. It wasn't Riku, because he knew too well that Riku didn't wield a knife.

Before he could react, two large arms wrapped around his body, locking him in place. Sora tried to push the stranger away, but whoever it was was too strong. The arms that were holding him firmly in place were rock-hard and solid. Sora failed once again when trying to free himself.

"You should stop struggling. It will only make Flexis's grip tighten. You'll never get away from him. You'll only succeed in killing yourself."

Sora's heart stopped. He knew that voice. He had heard it before. And he knew exactly where.

_"__If you want Kiari back, come get her."_

The memory was as clear as a bright summer day. That was what the voice had said to him all those days ago when Kiari was taken from him. Without having turning around, he could tell that the green-haired boy was behind him. But who was Flexis?

Sora's feet were lifted off the ground when his entire body was turned around. He was right. It was the green-haired boy. His hair was longer in the back than it was in front, and it was as green as grass. One spike stuck out of the top of his head, erect.

His goth black coat with golden skull and crossbones buttons was pretty large for his skinny frame. His tan vest was buttoned shut, covering his pink and white striped shirt. His yellow and white striped tie hung lopsidedly over his chest. The shorts he was wearing was the same color as his high-heeled boots that were also studded with a skull and crossbones.

The green-haired boy looked to only be about Sora's age. He scratched his head with one of his long black fingernails. "You're Sora, right?"

Sora clenched his teeth. "So what if I am?"

"Yeah, you're Sora all right. You're description matches the one we were given. Spiky brown hair, blue eyes, and a persistent attitude."

"Who are you? And how do you know who I am?" Sora asked. "What did you do with Kiari! Give her back!"

The boy blinked his ice blue eyes. "I'm Amiamon Livic. It's nice to meet you." He paced over towards the knife that stuck out of the ground. Sora realized that his coat turned into a torn train that almost drug the ground. He picked the knife up, flicked the dirt off of it, and then sheathed it. "Well, as for knowing who you are. . . That's a secret."

"I could care less about that! Answer me about Kiari! Where is she!?" Sora demanded. He kicked and squirmed, but the arms around him squeezed him tighter. Sora glanced up at the boy who was holding him captive.

If there could be one word used to describe him, it would be brute. His arms were twice the size of Riku's, and his muscular build was (Sora had to admit) amazing. His outfit was nothing more than just a shirt and pants, but it looked like the sleeves and the pant legs had been torn off, making the clothes look rugged. His eyes were a stunning gold color.

"Should I let him go?" the brute asked.

"Think about what you just said, Flexis. Just think about it. Why would we spend all this time capturing him and then just let him waltz off?"

"So. . . We're _not_ letting him go?"

"No Flexis, no. We are not letting him go."

"That's what I thought."

Sora narrowed his eyes at his two enemies. _I guess that this big guy is Flexis. . . What kind of a name is that? And Amiamon. . . Where did these people come from? Flexis doesn't seem as smart as Amiamon. . . No offense to him, but he seems like a total doofus. _The more Sora stared at Amiamon, the more weirder the boy looked. He had pointy ears, rather sharp teeth, long black fingernails, slightly pale skin. . . To Sora, nothing with this boy was normal.

_Where the hell did he come from. . ? More importantly, why are they here and why did they kidnap Kiari? _

"If I were you, Kiari wouldn't be the one I would be worrying about," Amiamon answered finally.

"Oh yeah? Why?" Sora asked.

"When you find her again. . . I don't think you'll like what you see."

Sora clenched his teeth and violently tried to squirm out of Flexis's grasp. The larger boy was inescapable. "What the hell did you do to her!? If you hurt her, I'll kill you!"

Amiamon ignored his threats. "Anyway, I would be more worried about _Riku _if I were you."

Sora's eyes widened when Amiamon's words processed through his head. "What? What. . . What do you mean. . ?"

"You see, our good friend Lamont went after him just a few moments ago. I wonder how long poor Riku can hold up against an opponent like him."

"He'll hold up just fine!" Sora yelled. "Riku would never be beaten by a kid like Lamont! He's too str~" He fell silent when he heard a gunshot sounding off in the distance followed by a few more. They weren't that far away. Sora shook his head. "No. . . He's not. . . There's no way he could be defeated. . ."

"I told you so. You're friend. . . Well, he's as good as dead," Amiamon stated.

Just the thought of it overwhelmed him. There was no way Riku could be dead. He would never let himself be defeated by the Darkness. Sora gritted his teeth. Even though he knew for a fact that Riku couldn't be dead, a feeling continued to linger inside of him. A feeling of anger. Anger towards the Darkness. Anger towards the enemies who took Kiari. Anger towards the father who abandoned him. Anger towards everyone.

A burning sensation began to spread throughout his body, all coming from his heart full of wrath. He gritted his teeth and felt his eyes dilate. Whirls of Darkness swirled around his body, making its way up his arms and legs. He felt Flexis release his grip on his body and then heard him retreat back a few steps. Amiamon stepped away as well.

A Keyblade appeared in Sora's hand, but it wasn't the same old Keyblade that he always used since his beginning as a Keyblade Master. This one was different. The handle was both larger and wider. Its color consisted of abyssal black and blood red. The blade was shaped like the Heartless insignia.

Sora's heart began to pound rapidly in his chest. Something was happening to him. He could feel something trying to overtake his body. His vision began to grow blurry and his head started pounding crazily. One of his eyes twitched uncontrollably. His body was strangely still and he couldn't move. A sudden pain filled his entire being and then he screamed. After that was when his whole mind went black.


	6. Chapter 6 - Gone Astray

**Day 6**

**Gone Astray**

"We searched for him, but we couldn't find him."

"Gawrsh, I hope he's all right. . ."

"Welp, at least we found Sora. I need to talk to him when he wakes up."

Sitting up, Sora asked, "What do we need to talk about? And how did I get here?"

Donald, Goofy, and the King turned to Sora at that moment. King Mickey spoke first. "Oh Sora, you're up. I didn't think that you'd wake up this quickly."

Sora looked around. He was back at Disney Castle. "When did I get here?"

"Welp, that's kind of a long story," King Mickey sighed. "You're gonna have to hear it though. Perhaps we should go somewhere else to converse. Follow me." Sora stood up, stretched his sore limbs, and then followed the King.

_What happened to me? The last thing I remember is getting caught by Flexis and Amiamon. . . Those two were quite the strange characters. . . But then how did I get here? Maybe it was a dream. . . Those two said that Riku was dead. . . Yeah, that had to be a dream. . . It was all just a dream, Sora. Get it through your head. _Sora focused his attention on the large door that led into the Audience Chamber. The King entered first, him trailing behind.

King Mickey placed himself in his chair and then began, "Donald and Goofy traveled to the world that you were at, found you, and brought you here. You were passed out, lying on the forest floor. There was no one else around."

"Are you sure? There were two strange boys with me. Flexis and Amiamon. One of them was a large dude and the other one was a green-haired freak," Sora stated.

King Mickey shook his head. "You were the only one that Donald and Goofy could find."

Something clicked in Sora's mind at that moment. "Oh! What about Riku!? Did you find him!? Where is he!?"

"They didn't find him. He wasn't any where. They called for him, but there was no response."

Sora lowered his head. "No. . ."

"Don't worry Sora. I'm sure he's fine. Riku's a tough one. He wouldn't fall that easily."

"I know. . . But I'm just worried. . . Something weird has been happening and I don't know what it is. I just have this feeling. . . A bad feeling that something bad is heading me and Riku's way. I just can't shake the feeling off."

"Welp, I have a few things to discuss with you Sora," King Mickey told him.

"Like what?"

"First, there's something on your chest that you should look at."

Sora blinked. "Huh? How do you know?"

"Donald and Goofy said that when they found you, you were clutching your heart quite violently in pain. They took a look at you and said that they found a mark. I'd like to see it," King Mickey explained.

Sora wanted to see the mark for himself. He pulled off his jacket and then slipped off his tank top. Then he saw it. There was a mark on his skin just over his heart. It looked just like the Heartless symbol, instead, there was a red and black crown, very much like his own necklace, that lingered just above it. Sora ran his fingers over the mark, softly at first, but then more violently. It didn't smear or anything. It was stuck solid on his skin, unwilling to come off. Where did it come from? How long had he had it? _Why_ did he have it?

"What is this thing?" Sora questioned.

"What you have there is called the Mark of Darkness. It proves that you have been or still are in control of the Darkness," King Mickey said.

"But, why do I have it?!"

"I was wondering that myself. . . You see. . . You must be using the Darkness to fight. . . You must be using it for something."

Sora's eyes widened. "But how. . ? You know I'd never do that. . . I would never side with the Darkness."

"Well, you side with Riku."

Sora lowered his head. "That's different. . . Hey, does Riku have one of these marks?"

King Mickey nodded. "Yes. It's under the white cloth on his wrist. Most people who have one try to hide it in any way that they can."

"I can see why. . ." Sora pulled his shirt and jacket back on. "What should I do? I just can't continue to use the Darkness. I don't want to end up hurting anybody."

"I'm sorry Sora. . . But I can't help you. Soon enough, the Darkness that is growing in your heart will rapidly increase, and I don't know who's controlling that Darkness. My first thought was. . . well. . . Riku," King Mickey told him.

"It can't be him," Sora said quickly. "He's let go of the Darkness. I've been watching him. Sure, there's still some Darkness in his heart, but not enough to take him over."

"You never know Sora. . . Maybe he's the reason why you were passed out back in that world. Maybe we couldn't find him because he wouldn't let us find him. He could have been hiding. . ."

"Shut up!" Sora screamed. "You don't know anything about him!" His Keyblade appeared in his hand as he raced towards the King. When Sora slashed, King Mickey was ready. He had already summoned his Keyblade and quickly blocked the attack.

Sora smiled. "Fire." A large fireball was shot at him. King Mickey dodge-rolled out of the way of the attack and heard Sora command, "Blizzard." The fire that had broke loose throughout the room was extinguished and then the entire room filled with smoke, making it nearly impossible to see. King Mickey spun around, squinting to try and make out his surroundings. He heard a voice from behind him.

It was Sora. "Found ya." He slashed at the King with his Keyblade, creating a red gash across his chest. There was a splat, and Sora smiled, knowing that the King had fallen onto the floor. He held up his Keyblade and commanded, "Aero." A gust of wind came and cleared the smoke out of the room.

King Mickey was slowly getting onto his hands and knees when Sora continued to speak. "You're weaker than I thought. You're _pathetic_."

"It's already begun. . ." King Mickey stated.

Sora raised an eyebrow.

"The Darkness is starting to swallow your heart. . . You're being controlled Sora! You have to fight back!" King Mickey yelled.

Sora froze. The words that had been shouted by the King processed through his head, cutting through his thick void of blackness.

Donald and Goofy ran into the room, an expression of shock surfacing onto their faces. They were silent.

Mickey spoke again. "Sora, do you remember? Your true self?"

Sora's eyes filled with horror when he glanced down at his blood-dripping Keyblade. All at once, hundreds of questions filled his head.

_What have I done? How did it come to this? I didn't do this, did I? Why? How could I? Why is my Keyblade covered in the King's blood? How did King Mickey get injured? What happened? Did I just space out? Where was I? It was like I was gone, but how? Is it true what the King had said? Am I really being controlled? By who? Why me? Of all people, why me? Was I the one who hurt the King? Am I giving into the Darkness? What is happening to me? Why am I acting like this? Am I really hurting people? Is Riku turning over to the Darkness again? Where is Riku? Where'd Donald and Goofy come from? Why are they looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?_

Sora's Keyblade clattered onto the ground next to him. It slowly faded away, the King's red blood still glistening on its blade. Sora took a few steps backward. He wanted to escape. Escape from the lies that had been told to him. Escape from the crime he had committed.

Before he knew it, he was running. He bolted past the injured King, past Donald and Goofy, and then out of the Audience Chamber. He charged through the Courtyard and then into the Gummi Hangar. He jumped into a ship and as quick as he could, starting it up.

Tears threatened to spill over his cheeks. Something was definitely happening. Something that Sora couldn't possibly stop. He didn't know where he could go to get help. The only person he could count on now was Riku.

That was, if Riku was still alive.

Sora blasted off in the Gummi Ship, knowing that there was only one destination that he could go.

He needed to do something.

He needed his best friend to help him.

And he needed answers.


	7. Chapter 7 - Friends Fight Each Other

**Day 7**

**Friends Fight Each Other**

When Sora saw the immense cloud of Darkness, he knew that was where he was headed. He had to find out where Riku had disappeared to. He quickly landed the ship and shut it down.

He took a deep breath and tried to clear his thoughts. _How could I do that to the King. . ? What is the matter with me? How can I ever approach them again. . ? What should I do. . ? _Sora bit his lip. _What's Riku going to think when I tell him. . ? Oh no. . . He's the only person I have left. I can't tell him. . . Not now at least. . . What if he leaves. . ? He wouldn't ever leave me. . . right?_

Sora sighed deeply and stood up out of his seat. He opened the ships hatch and walked back out into the dark forest. The sky was darker than usual. _It must be nighttime. . . Now, if I could only find out where I was before. . . Riku. . ._

Sora decided to just go straight and then figure out where he was once he ended up somewhere. What was the worst that could happen?

The night dragged on and on and Sora began to grow tired. The mist had built up, covering the entire area. He sighed deeply and then paused when he heard a sound. His heart sank. He knew that it was the sound of footsteps and they were heading right towards him.

Sora couldn't help but to summon his Keyblade. He feared that Lamont or Amiamon or Flexis was coming back to find him. Or what if it was that stranger who had been following him? Who was that anyway?

Sora swallowed when he saw the figure start to appear through the fog.

"Sora?"

_Wait. . . Is that. . ?_

"Sora! It's you!"

A large smile spread out across his face. "Riku!" He raced over and hugged his silver-haired friend. "I knew that you were all right!"

Riku wrapped his arms around the younger boy. "I was worried about you. . . I thought that maybe you had been captured."

Sora pulled away, a frown on his face. "You really think that I'd get taken that easily?"

"You don't understand. . ."

"What happened to you?"

Riku rubbed his one shoulder and that was when Sora noticed the blood bandage covering a wound. "Riku! You're hurt!" Sora gasped.

"It's fine. Don't worry."

"Tell me what happened. Who attacked you?"

"It was Lamont."

"I thought so. . ."

"He ambushed me and caught me off guard when I was taking out the Heartless. He pulled a gun out of some kind of book and then shot me. I escaped thankfully and he didn't follow. It was after that when I. . . I searched for you, but I never found you," Riku explained. "I thought that maybe you had been kidnapped."

Sora lowered his head. "I'm sorry Riku. I really am. If I wouldn't have been goofing off, I would have probably been able to help you. Two boys came and were distracting me. One of them was a really big dude named Flexis and the other one was a green-haired kid named Amiamon."

"Flexis and Amiamon? Judging by their descriptions, they don't sound like the friendly type. Have you ever seen them before?"

Sora nodded, a solemn expression on his face. "They. . . They were two of the people who kidnapped Kiari. . . They have her somewhere. . . We're so close. I can feel it. . ."

Riku was silent.

Sora blinked and stared back at him. "What? Riku?"

The seventeen-year-old seemed to be staring past Sora and through the now clearing mist. Riku's eyes narrowed. "There you are. . ."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I won't let you do this. . . I'll kill you if I have to. . . I'm going to finish this once and for all." Riku stepped past Sora without so much as exchanging a glance. He continued to walk away.

"Riku? Where are you going?" Sora asked. "What are you~" He silenced himself when he made out a large figure coming into the view. The fog was clearing and it was getting easier to see what his surroundings were.

Sora paced forward after his friend. He appeared to be at the border of the forest. Just in front of him stood a tall, dark cavern. It was one of the biggest places that Sora had ever seen. The drawbridge was open to any one who wanted to wander in there. There was someone rushing across the drawbridge into the open structure. Sora had to squint to make it out.

"Riku! Wait!" Sora called. "Riku!" He stepped out of the protection of the trees and over to the drawbridge. When he heard a sound coming from the forest, he turned around and peered into the Darkness. "Is someone there. . ?"

When there was no response, he turned back to the drawbridge. _What is this place? Why would Riku go in there. . ? I wonder what's in there. . . Something was distracting him. . . But what? _Sora summoned his Keyblade and walked across the bridge and into the lighted castle. He snuck down the empty corridor cautiously. The place seemed to be a never ending string of hallways until Sora finally found a spiral staircase and made his way up it.

He ended up on a balcony that was just behind the castle. He leaned over the crumbling stone railing and realized that he was leaning over the edge of a cliff. Sora swallowed, thinking about how long of a fall that would be. . . A river flowed steadily in the chasm below.

Sora stepped away from the stone railing, thankful that it hadn't given away when he was leaning against it. Sora was about to head back into the building when a frightful scream filled the air. His eyes grew wide. There was only one person he knew who sounded like that.

The scream belonged to Kiari.

"Kiari!" Sora screamed as he spun himself around and raced towards what looked like the roof. When he stepped onto the roof, he couldn't believe what he saw.

Riku stood there, pointing his dark Keyblade to Kiari's throat as she sat on the ground, tears of fright streaming down her face. His friend went to strike her. She closed her tear filled eyes.

Riku's Keyblade ripped into flesh and then he gasped.

"Riku. . . how could you. . ?" Sora asked, blood from his arm soaking his sleeve and running down his forearm.

"Sora. . . you. . ." Riku couldn't finish his sentence. Seeing himself injuring Sora made guilt grow in his heart.

Sora  
raced over to Kiari and reached out his hand to help her up. Kiari took his hand and slowly stood up onto her unsteady legs. "Sora. . . y-you came. . ."

"Of course I came," Sora told her. "I wasn't about to let Riku hurt you."

Riku shook his head. "Sora, it's not what you think," Riku began. "Honest. Once I explain all of this to you, you'll understand why I had to do this."

"Riku. . ." Sora started.

"Just listen to me, all right?" Riku cut him off. "After I was attacked by Lamont, I didn't go out searching for you. She. . . Kiari came. . . She looked normal and unharmed, like she does now, but then the Darkness engulfed her entire body and changed her clothes. She carried a long sword that wielded the power of lightning. . . Her and I had a small fight, but I knew that couldn't win with this wounded shoulder." Riku placed his hand on the bloody bandage. "So I ran from her. . . I didn't want to fight her. . . But now I realize that I have to. . . Sora, we have to kill Kiari because. . ." Riku paused for a long moment and then revealed, "Because she's evil."

"Riku. . . I~"

"I know it sounds crazy, but I'm not lying to you! You have to believe me!" Riku stared deeply into Sora's eyes, hoping.

"Riku. . . The Darkness. . . It's taken over you again. You weren't able to stop it from taking over, so I guess I have too," Sora said unwillingly. "Riku, don't worry, I'll release you from it's dark grip. You won't have to suffer any longer!" Sora called his Keyblade and stormed towards Riku. They clashed weapons.

"Sora! Stop!" Riku yelled. "Please, I'm telling the truth!"

"Why should I?" Sora asked, releasing some of the pressure he was putting against Riku.

"Because we're best friends," Riku said softly.

Sora stopped. He was right. They _were_ best friends. And as best friends, they never lied to each other. If Riku had been lying now, Sora would have knew. Part of his heart wanted to believe him, but the other half was protesting against it. It was as if something in his heart was making him refuse not to believe it. . . Something was forcing him to go against it. . .

Sora turned his head slowly towards Kiari who was wiping the tears from her face. "Don't tell me you believe him!" Kiari cried. "I was lucky enough to escape after I ran into him. You see. . . I got away from Lamont and Amiamon and those other guys and found him." She motioned her head towards Riku. "I thought that he would help me. . . But Sora. . . he tried to kill me. . . He hurt me. . ." Kiari turned to the side and showed Sora the deep, bloody cut on her shoulder. "I ran from him and he chased me up here. . . Then you came and~" She flinched from the pain in her arm.

When Sora had saw the wound on Kiari's arm, something dark flared to life in his heart. How could Riku hurt Kiari? How could he hold his Keyblade up to a girl? The Darkness was the only answer.

"Riku. . ." Sora gritted his teeth and stared at his friend with evil eyes.

"Sora, I'll be honest with you. I did do that, but for a different reason. Everything she said isn't true, I~"

Sora couldn't take it anymore. Riku was lying to him, he had to be. "Shut up!" Sora screamed. "Just shut up!"

"Sora. . ." Riku's voice turned into a serious one, one full of anger. "If you don't believe me. . . I guess I'll just have to make you believe!"

Sora and Riku both held there Keyblades in a fighting stance, showing that they were ready to battle. "Kiari, stand back. This could get ugly," Sora directed.

Kiari nodded and ran over by the edge of the roof, away from the two boys who were about to engage in battle.

The two glared at each other for the longest time. "Remember how we always would brawl against each other back on the islands?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Riku asked his friend.

"Well, it's your turn to start first," Sora told him.

"You know Sora, this isn't a game. Someone could get hurt. So I suggest that you stand down before you end up killing the both of us," Riku told him.

"Big talk for someone who's gonna _lose_," Sora said back to him.

"And that would be you."

Sora charged towards Riku. The silver-haired boy gave his Keyblade a toss towards Sora. The younger boy deflected it and it went spinning in the air. Riku caught it as he dodged Sora's slash and then the two of them stopped once they clashed their weapons together.

"Just like old times," Riku commented.

"Too much like the old times. Let's spice it up a little." Sora put more pressure on his Keyblade and pushed against Riku's Keyblade until Riku was forced onto one knee.

"You have gotten stronger," Riku admitted."But, unfortunately, so have I!" Riku pushed upward and knocked the Keyblade out of Sora's hand. It went spinning in the air. As Sora held out his hand to reclaim it, Riku ran towards Kiari.

"Wait! Stop Riku!" Sora raced after his friend. "Leave her alone!" His Keyblade finally appeared back into his hand. He threw it towards Riku who was still dashing towards Kiari, intent on killing her.

Sora's Keyblade ripped through the flesh on Riku's back, impaling his body. Riku stumbled forward, pain rushing throughout his entire torso. But Riku didn't give up. As much as he was injured, he forced himself to approach Kiari. He wrapped his arms around her and then fell forward off of the cliff.

Kiari screamed.

"Kiari!" Sora cried. Before he knew what he was getting himself into, he dived off the cliff. He had to save his friend no matter what the cost. _I see what Riku's thinking. . . He wants to knock Kiari in the water because she can't swim. . . He's planning on drowning her! I can't let that happen! _"Don't worry Kiari! I'm coming!"

Riku spun himself around in midair and pointed his Keyblade at Sora. "Fire!" he commanded. Large, burning balls of flame were shot at him.

Sora gasped and held out his hand to reclaim his Keyblade which was still jammed into Riku's back. _I'm sorry. . . But this is going to hurt, Riku. . ._

Riku gasped and cried out in pain when Sora's Keyblade began to shake and rip his flesh even more. It finally disappeared, letting more blood flow from the wound and out of Riku's body. Both him and Kiari splashed into the water.

Sora was able to guard all the fireballs. Sora finally found himself in the water. Kiari had already gone under. He took a deep breath and dived under when Riku grabbed his ankle and held him back.

"Riku! Let go!" Sora had meant to scream to him, but just turned out to be bubbles bursting underwater. _Sorry Riku, but you asked for it!_ Sora pulled his leg back and then kicked Riku in the face. Once Riku released his grip, Sora went under in search for Kiari.

Riku went falling backward, splashing into the water and rapidly trying to stay afloat. He knew if he went under, it would be hard for him to come back up. His vision was going blurry and his strength was decreasing with every move he took. Riku shook his head and swam over to the cliff side.

Sora swam deeper and deeper in the depths of the water, drastically searching for Kiari. She had to have sink to the bottom. The pressure under the water was getting more and more unbearable by the minute. Sora's ears popped. His sides began to hurt from the pressure, and he was running out of time. He was almost out of breath when he found Kiari lying on the sandy ground. A few bubbles were bursting out of her mouth. Sora quickly grabbed her hand and kicked off the bottom of the river to give him a boost up. He came bursting out of the water with Kiari in his arms. The two of them began to breathe heavily.

"Are you. . . okay?" Sora asked between breaths.

Kiari nodded. "Thanks for saving me Sora. . . I'm sorry I'm so troublesome."

"Don't worry about it," Sora said. He took Kiari's hand to make sure that she didn't go back under and swam over to the cliff side. "It's a long climb up. Here, get on my back."

"No. . . I can climb."

"No, let me help you. You almost drowned. You should at least rest. It the least I can do for you."

"Okay," Kiari finally agreed.

Kiari wrapped her arms around Sora's neck and held onto him tightly as he climbed up the side of the cliff and out of the water. The climb was long and hard, but finally, after having to not only climb up the cliff but the side of the castle as well, he found himself pulling him and Kiari up onto the castle roof.

"You see. . ." Sora panted. "That wasn't so hard. . . I told you that I could~" Sora was interrupted by a fist in the face. He went tumbling onto the ground. He lied on the ground facing upward, stunned. He snapped back into reality when a Keyblade was pointed at his throat.

Riku.

"Step aside, Sora," Riku ordered. "Hand Kiari over to me or I'll~"

"You'll what?" Sora pressed. "Kill me? Run your blade against the flesh of my throat? Please, we both know that you won't do it. You're too afraid."

"Make one move and I will. You can't summon your Keyblade. When you move, I'll strike you down," Riku threatened.

Sora grinned. "You're kidding, right?"

Riku narrowed his eyes. "Try me."

Sora stared at Riku's narrowed eyes and was forced to look away. _He can't possibly be serious. . . He's lying. . . Right? He would never kill me. . . Or maybe he would. . ._

"I'll give you one more chance," Riku spoke. "Hand Kiari over to me and I'll spare your life. Which do you choose?"

"I'll die first," Sora boldly selected.

"No!" Kiari screamed. "Sora! Don't do it!"

"Shut up!" Riku snapped, turning to make sure that she wasn't up to no good. This was Sora's chance. He lifted his feet in the air and kicked Riku back. Riku went staggering backward. He couldn't even walk straight anymore because of the blood loss.

Sora's blood-stained Keyblade materialized in his hand. He let out a battle cry as he rammed his Keyblade in Riku's chest. "Blizzard Charge!" Sora screamed. A charge of ice zoomed through Riku's body, making his skin turn a light blue color.

Riku's eyes were full of pain, shock, and betrayal. The pain was overtaking his body, and he knew it too. His limbs shook with fatigue and his legs felt as if they were about to fall apart. He staggered backward until he was as close to the edge of the roof as anyone could get.

"Sora. . . You. . . She. . . How. . ?" Just before Riku fell off the side of the roof and back into the chasm, he was able to make out an audible sentence, "Watch your back." Riku's body splashed into the river, the water turning a dark, bloody red color.

Sora walked over to the ledge and gazed down at the river. He heard his Keyblade clatter next to him and then dissolve away into the air. He fell to his knees in shock. His body began to tremble with fear when he realized what he had done.

He had killed his best friend.

Riku was dead because of him.

Shaking his head, Sora began to mutter, "No. . . Riku. . . No. . . What. . . What have I done?" His low voice turned into one full of horror and panic. He began to scream. "Oh my god! What have I done!?" Tears formed in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. "I'm a murderer! I killed my best friend! Oh god! Riku! Riku! No!"

Kiari was silent as she watched Sora weep.


	8. Chapter 8 - Dive Into the Heart

**Day 8**

**Dive Into the Heart**

The full moon lingered over the land, showing the dark creatures that another day had passed and was staring anew.

Sora had no idea how long he sat crying and pleading. He could have been there for seconds, hours, years. . .

But time didn't matter to him right now. No amount of time could change what he had done. He knew that because of him, his best friend was no more. He was a murderer.

Staring at the river, Sora sighed sadly. He was motionless for a few moments, but then finally flinched. He could feel a sudden pain start to build up in his torso. Sora slowly looked down to see the tip of a blade protruding out of his chest. It was covered in fresh blood.

_His _blood. Sora had been stabbed.

Sora's body trembled. Was Riku alive? If so, how did he get behind him without Sora noticing? The possibility of Riku being alive was pretty slim, but Sora didn't care. He would give anything if it meant bringing his friend back.

Sora ignored the pain and spun himself around. At first, he saw Riku and almost jumped up in joy, but then he realized that his eyes were just fooling him. There was only one person who looked like that.

Horror, shock, and disbelief were only a few of the many emotions that began to feel. His mixed feelings came out as, "No. . . It. . . It can't be. . . It's impossible. . ."

It was Kiari.

Kiari Capri.

His friend.

"N-no. . . No. . ." Sora stuttered. "There's no way. . ." He had never been this scared before in his life. Not ever. He was terrified. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. He _didn't _want to believe it.

How? When? Where? All of Sora's thoughts started out with those three question words. He couldn't think straight.

Kiari pulled back on the handle of the long sword, ripping the blade out of Sora's body. Riku was right. He had been right about everything.

Kiari was evil.

Tears threatened to spill over Sora's cheeks. What had he done? Riku almost had her, but Sora's one mistake messed it all up. Trust was the thing that Sora lacked. Him and Riku were the best of friends, and he didn't trust him, especially when he was telling the truth. He was wrong and Riku was right. The thought that he had betrayed his best friend baffled him.

"Well, aren't you surprised?" Kiari asked, twirling a strand of her dark red hair. "Are you surprised that I'm actually evil?"

Sora nodded slowly, his eyes wide.

"It must break your big kind heart. You were to blind to see it. Riku knew that I was evil when I first showed him the Darkness that I could control."

Sora tried to ask her his millions of questions, but only three words came out. "But why. . ? How. . ?"

"There was never a when or how. I've always been evil, right from the very beginning. I summoned the Darkness that came and destroyed the islands. I am the controller of the Heartless. I am their master," Kiari responded. "Me getting kidnapped by Lamont and the others, that was just an act to catch you off guard. When you came here to find me, I wasn't ready to fight you yet, so I sent Lamont after you to stall for some time. I'm surprised it worked." She sighed. "That foolish King told you that the Darkness was controlling you. I'm sure that you would like to know why."

Sora was silent.

"I'll explain it to you. You see, I was able to send some of my Darkness into your heart so that you could use it, therefore it created The Mark of Darkness. And you have been using it like a good little boy. That explains why you passed out when you were with Amiamon and Flexis. You were using the Darkness in your heart for power and therefore let it take control over your whole being. It's caused you to hurt some of your friends but it's worth it because of the magnificent power. Let's see what else, you can control Heartless because of the Darkness in your heart," Kiari explained. "Now, I have a question to ask. Will you join me? Together we can rule the universe and everything will be ours. We will rule Kingdom Hearts!" She held out her hand. "All you have to do is take my hand."

Sora had his head lowered. _What can I do. . ? Riku's gone. . . I can't fight her by myself. . . How can I even fight her. . . She's one of my best friends. . . I can't just go up against her like that. . . Riku tried to warn me, but I was too stupid to listen to him. . . And now look what's happened. . . This is all my fault. I have to convince Kiari that the Darkness is the wrong path. I got Riku to come to the Light, and I can get Kiari to come back to. I won't let the Darkness have her!_

Sora snapped his head up and with a glint in his eyes, answered, "Never!"

Kiari narrowed her eyes. "What a shame, Riku was so easy to cooperate with." She sighed. "You poor fool. Well, looks like I'll just have to make you join me." She took a step back and held her long sword up in a fighting stance.

Sora clutched his wound as he stood up. _I'll have to fight her. I'll get her to come back to the Light. . . Don't worry Riku. . . I'll take care of everything. I promise you. _Sora pointed his Keyblade into the air and commanded, "Cure!" A bright green light circled around his body, healing his wounds and replenishing his strength.

Sora knew that this was his chance to defeat Kiari. Since he never mastered the Cure spell, he was only limited to use it once. Having the spell was a good thing because it could easily save your life if in trouble in battle, but afterward, exhaustion would ravage your body like a disease. Using the spell more than once when a limited user could prove fatal.

"You think that an extra boost in strength and magic will defeat me? Your confidence is revolting," Kiari sneered.

Sora raced at Kiari. "Are you done rambling!?" He clashed his Keyblade against Kiari's sword. The sword's blade ran down Sora's Key, sending sparks raining onto the ground. Sora took a step back and swung his Keyblade around. Kiari simply blocked the attack and then whipped her sword around as it were light as a feather. Sora was able to guard the rapid attacks. He finally fell back and narrowed his eyes. If he couldn't beat her in combat, then maybe magic would do the trick.

When Kiari raced at him and went to slash at him, Sora dodge-rolled out of the way and then quickly stood back onto his feet. He pointed his Keyblade to the sky and screamed, "Thunder!" Pure white lightning strikes rained down upon Kiari, making the floor he was standing on crack and begin to crumble. Chunks of the floor began to fall out of place. Sora did what he could to stay upon his feet. He smiled to himself. He didn't see Kiari move so his magic attack had to have hit her. It was at that time when he heard another crack of thunder. He looked up and instantly saw the blue lightning strikes coming down upon him.

The only thing he had time to do was let his eyes grow wide. The electric bolts of energy came down, shocking him instantly. He was able to spat blood out of his mouth before his mind shut down and he went crashing onto the crumbling floor.

Sora opened his eyes slowly. He was lying giant glass pillar. Engraved it it was himself, Riku, and Kiari. The outline of the pillar was a circle of yellow crowns just like his necklace.

"Brings back memories, huh?"

Sora stood up and focused his attention on Kiari who was staring at the pillar. "The three of us were always playing together. . . Oh, how I loved messing with you guys. You two would always fight over me. Even though the winner was usually Riku, I still wanted you Sora. You're the one that I've always wanted. My parents were evil and it's up to me to carry on their legacy," Kiari explained. "I we're together, we'll be unstoppable Sora. Every ruler needs their companion, and I choose you Sora. I'll ask one more time." Kiari once again extended her hand. "Join me?"

Sora shook his head. "No. I won't."

Kiari sighed. "It was worth a try. I'm sure that you're quite confused about what happened before. How could I possibly be all right when your thunder spell hit me dead on? Well, I guess that I'll tell you. You'll have to learn how I fight when we're together anyway so you may as well just hear it now. You see, my sword wields lightning. Any of my attacks can shock you to the death, or just simply make you jump from an electrical charge. I can make my sword hit you with as many voltages as I want. That's what's so special about it. There's no way you can deflect my sword with your Keyblade. It's made of metal as my sword is, so you're pretty much helpless against it. You'll _never _be able to defeat me."

"Why?" Sora asked.

"Why what?"

"Why did you choose to be with the Darkness? Everything was fine before. . . You, Riku, and I were all happy on the islands. . . We were all together and. . . And happy. . . We all cared for each other. What more could you want. . ?"

"You really are stupid, aren't you?" Kiari questioned. "What I was feeling for you was a lie. I was never friends with you guys. I was just trying to get close to you guys so I could easily take you for myself. But I realize now that I don't need Riku, and thanks to you, you got rid of him for me. But Sora. . . The truth is. . . I want _you. _You're the only thing I care about Sora. Once I have you, we can rule the worlds together. It will just be the two of us. We'll live together in perfect harmony."

"How can you just say that!? Does that mean that everything we've been through. . . Everything we've been through has been a lie!?"

Kiari nodded. "Pretty much. But don't' think anything of it. Those memories are just a waste anyway. We can create some real memories when we're together."

Sora shook his head. "This fighting. . . It's breaking both of our hearts. . . I don't want to have to fight you Kiari! Please, just come back to the Light. It's better Kiari. I_know _it is."

"How touching," Kiari jeered, "but that's not good enough. You know Sora, I really do like you. I like you a lot. If you had dark powers like me, you would be perfect. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the Darkness is my true calling." Kiari ran towards him with her blade. Sora dodge-rolled out of the way and around her, but she was to quick. She threw her sword, forcing Sora to duck to the ground. She thrust her blade above her head and then brought her Keyblade down and stabbed Sora, hooking him into the ground. The sword had ripped through his chest and stabbed into the glass coating of the pillar. Sora struggled to pull the sword out but he couldn't get it out of Kiari's grasp. Kiari smiled evilly as blue lightning generated at the top of the sword and then went down the blade, making its way into Sora's unprotected body.

Once the electrical line made contact with his skin, all Sora felt was a small prick. _That's weird, nothing hap~ wait, my body. . . it's going numb. I can't feel my legs or my arms. . . what's happening? What did she do?_ Sora thought. His arms fell at his sides and his head rested on the ground.

"It's beginning to take effect," Kiari stated. "My Lightning Sword can send electrical energy through your body that makes you go numb. It works quite well. I could stab you right now and you wouldn't be able to feel a thing. You would be able to feel a little bit of pain, but only a small jab. You could watch yourself bleed. You'd be dying and you wouldn't even know it. It would start to get hard to breath and you'd feel yourself getting colder and colder, and then, just like that, you'd be gone. Dead. Sucked into Oblivion."

Sora's eyes became half-lidded. _What can I do? I can't fight her if I'm like this. I can barely keep my eyes open. I have to get her to release her sword. But how. . ? I don't know. . . If it's possible. . .No Sora, pull yourself together. Everybody has a weakness. Think positive. Think positive. . . Think of Riku. I have to defeat her and change her back to a resident of the Light for Riku's sake._

Kiari lifted up her foot and kicked Sora in the side. "Did you feel that?" she laughed.

_I'll just have to fight the pain and numbness back, _Sora slowly lifted up his arms and grabbed the sword. He began to tug on it.

"What? You can move!" Kiari asked, shocked.

"Surprised?" Sora asked her as he ripped the sword painfully out of his chest. "There is one advantage to being with the Light, you know. If you need help, the Light in your heart will help you out in a tight spot. The Darkness will only grow, continuing to consume all of your thoughts and sanity."

Kiari jumped back."That is true, unless you're like me and know how to control the Darkness in your heart. I should have known that you'd be able to break away from that attack. You are the Keyblade Master after all, so that shouldn't be that surprising that you could move. I didn't send that much energy into your body either."

Sora stood up. "I guess that you really do still like me."

"What makes you say that?" Kiari asked.

"You would have killed me by now."

"Hmph, you're smart. I'm not just going to do away with power such as yours. I'm not stupid. You're strong, much stronger than Riku. Speaking of Riku. .. I didn't expect you to kill him. That surprised me, I must admit. But that doesn't matter anymore. I'm still going to get you, and then you will be mine."

"Let me see you try," Sora hissed, urging her on.

"Challenge accepted," Kiari smirked. She raced at him. Sora readied his Keyblade for a block. When he and Kiari clashed their weapons together, Sora remembered what Kiari had said about not being able to deflect her sword. He watched as blue lightning again generated and then ran down the sword's blade. It entered his Keyblade and made its way to Sora's hands. It all happened so fast that there was no time for Sora to release his Keyblade or move away.

The lightning crackled as it shocked Sora's body. The pain shot through his body so quickly that it was impossible to tell how fast it was going. He screamed in pain. Kiari threw her sword towards him and stabbed him, ripped out her sword and went to stab him again.

"Lightning sword," he heard Kiari command in a whisper. "Triple Cutting Blade!" Sora was able to glance at her sword which had started to glow light blue. It soared towards him.

_I can dodge that! _Sora thought as the blade came towards him. He swayed to the left, dodging the sword. _Now, if I can only dodge the rest of her attacks and disarm her. . ._

A sudden jolt of pain rushed through Sora's body. He blinked and then finally gasped, realizing that Kiari's sword had stabbed through his gut. Once Sora was able to withstand some of the pain, he saw that he had two other fresh stab wounds on his body; one in his right shoulder and one in his left leg. They both released screaming jolts of pain throughout his entire being.

Sora managed to stay on his feet, but he stammered, "B-but how. . ? I dodged your s-sword. . ."

"It may seem like you dodged it, but that was just an illusion," Kiari explained. "I did the Triple Cutting Blade. I aim my sword at you, and my sword begins to glow. That casts the illusion. People in battle always watch their opponent's weapons and try to dodge them instead. It casts a clone with a sword just like me. As you watch that one and dodge its blade, I stab you three times without you knowing. The only way you notice is from the pain."

It was as if saying the word "pain" triggered something, and Sora fell to his knees.

Kiari paced over to him slowly. "And now. . ." She lifted her sword above her head and screamed, "You will be _mine_!"

It was as if the entire scene had already found itself into Sora's mind. He could see it; Kiari bringing her menacing sword down upon his head, ripping into the soft flesh of scalp and then cracking his skull. Blood would fill the air and rain down onto his instant dead body.

The blade came flying towards him. Closer and closer it came, unwilling to stop.

_Is this the end? Am I really going to die? Why? How did this happen? The Darkness has really gotten to me, hasn't it? What's happening to me? Is the Darkness really starting to take over? I can feel the pain and hurt that I brought my friends. The Darkness made me strike down my best friend, raise my Keyblade at my loved ones. Hurt who's important to me. Maybe. . . I deserve to die. . ._

The blade kept coming. With every millimeter, it threatened to take his life.

_Everyone. . . I'm sorry. . . I couldn't defeat her. . . I can hardly move. . . My visions blurred and my head's pounding. . . Why did this have to happen? I have followed the Light all of my life, and now, the Darkness is going to get me. I guess Fate is what made this happen. There's no changing it, I'm either going to die, or let the Darkness engulf me._

_What's the difference between those two choices? It's the same each way. I will disappear and won't be able to find the Light. What is death anyway? Will I be the same? Will I be stuck in an never ending pit of Darkness to never escape and see the Light again? Or, will I find Light and be in peace? I don't know. No one seems too. How could they? They're not me. I'm me, and it's going to stay that way._

_I've always wondered where us beings go when we die? Do we just disappear? What happens to the Heartless when they're struck down? If there is a place out there where we go, what is it? I guess I'm going to figure it out soon. . ._

_Two choices to choose from. . . __**Live or die**__. . . If only Riku and I had had a chance to make our choice. . ._

_I'm so sorry Riku. . ._

_Please. . . Forgive me. . ._

_I hope that we're still friends. . . Or maybe. . . Maybe we were even more than that. . ._

"_YOU'RE MINE_!" Kiari screamed as she came down with her sword.

The flat end of the sword smashed into Sora's head. Blood came out of both Sora's nose and mouth. His eyes rolled back into his head as he fell forward onto the floor with a splat. His headed smacked off of the solid, thick glass formation when his body met the floor. Blood continued to spill out of his many wounds, creating a pool of blood around his body. The crimson liquid seeped into his clothes, darkening a few of the colors and changing some of the white material red. His beloved necklace also became stained with his blood.

Kiari smiled and sheathed her sword. "I have big plans for you." Her smile turned into a dull frown. "And as for you two. . ." She was speaking to the two figures behind her. "Take him back to the Kavern and into my chamber. Put him in the cell that's in my room. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," a purple-haired girl answered.

"Okay." That one was Amiamon.

The two of them walked over and flipped the spiky-haired boy over.

"Just hold on one minute. . ." Kiari stepped over and knelt down next to Sora. She leaned forward and put her mouth to his ear. "You look totally _pathetic_. If you could only see the look on your face, you'd die of shame. I told you that you would be mine, and now you are. You decided to be a fool and follow your heart, but look where that has led you. Nowhere. Now, you'd better say good-bye to your old self, because the new you will be entirely different. See you soon." She turned back to her two pawns. "Amiamon. Viola. Take him."

As Sora felt himself be dragged away, a path of his blood smeared beneath him on the floor. The Keyblade that was still gripped in his hand faded away unwillingly. Sora knew that his mind was lost. He could no longer feel the pain from his wounds. It was as if the blood that had flowed out of his body had taken the all the pain with it. But that did nothing for the pain that had ravaged his heart. He couldn't even think of a way to lessen the hurting.

Many regrets were finding their way into Sora's head, making it hard to concentrate on anything. He knew that he was falling into the Darkness, and he was trying desperately hard to keep a grasp on whatever he could. Everything that Sora had known and had been was gone._**Torn apart.**_He didn't know what he could do. . . There wasn't anything he _could_ do. The only thing that the chosen Keyblade Master had left to think of was one mistake that played over and over again in his mind. He knew that it was the biggest mistake of his life.

_Riku. . . I'm. . . I'm sorry. . . I didn't believe. . . I didn't trust you. . . And I wasn't able to defeat her. . ._

_I. . ._

_I screwed up. . ._


	9. Chapter 9 - Traps Set to Kill

**Day 9**

**Traps Set to Kill**

The river flowed steadily against the chasm walls. Nothing seemed to disturb it, for nothing usually had before. . .

_I'm dying. . ._

_Sora. . . How could you. . ? She's gonna get you. . . _

_No. . . She. . . I won't let that happen. . . If anything happens to you Sora, I'll never forgive myself. . . I have to move. . . I need to make sure that he's all right. . ._

The water in the river stirred as a hand shot out from underneath the surface and grasped the cliff wall.

Riku gasped for breath as he pulled himself out of the chasm and into the cold grass. His limbs shook with fatigue and his body felt as if it were going to shut down completely. His head was pounding and his vision was cloudy due to his blood loss. His eyes skimmed the area around him. He hoped that it was safe for him to rest for awhile.

Riku almost laughed at his own thought. Here, in the Dominion of Darkness, you were never safe.

That was what this placed was called, the Dominion of Darkness. Kiari ruled it and the people who were forced to stay there. This was the Heartless' home and world. All Darkness of every kind lurked in this forbidden place; the Hell on earth.

The world was closing down. Riku could feel his heartbeat slow. He knew that his death was coming. . . But he knew that he couldn't die yet. He still had to find someone. . . Someone who meant the world to him. He wouldn't let Kiari take the most important thing away from him. He had to save his friend.

He had to save Sora.

Riku knew that he'd have to cheat death in order to rescue his friend. As tired and weak as he was, he forced himself onto his feet. His legs were unsteady, wobbling at every moment. He could hardly walk in a straight line because of his blurred vision. A painful sensation flew through his body and made him fall to his knees.

He had lost too much blood and he knew it. His heart was aching with physical pain, but he knew that it would get a lot more worse if something happened to Sora. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something happened to his dear friend.

As Kiari had said, she _wanted _him. She was going to unlock all the Darkness that was sealed away in Sora's heart and release it so it would possess his body, making him into the evil, heartless monster that she wanted him to be. The two of them would rule the Darkness, and then use their power to destroy the word.

Riku couldn't let that happen.

And he wouldn't.

Forcing himself onto his shaking legs, he once again began to head towards the towering castle that covered the entire one end of the area. That had to be where Sora was taken.

When Riku finally found his way out of the woods and standing in front of the dark castle, he paused. There was a lone door that sat randomly in front of the castle. Riku found himself standing in front of it a few moments later. He pulled on the handle of the door and found that it was locked. Summoning his Keyblade, he unlocked the door and stepped in.

He appeared on a round glass pillar. Imprinted in the fine glass was a spiky-haired boy holding a Keyblade. He immediately recognized it as Sora.

Riku focused his attention on the image of Kiari that had been engraved in the glass. His hands formed fists as he stomped his foot angrily onto her picture, only succeeding in making more pain find its way into his body.

That's when Riku noticed the red blood smeared all over the pillar's shiny surface. There was a small pool of blood that smeared all the way across the carving and then just disappeared into thin air.

Riku lowered his head. _Sora must have fought Kiari here and lost. . . He didn't stand a chance. . . He must have been wounded and then dragged off. That would explain the blood smearing across the pillar. Kiari had to have taken him into her castle and to her chamber. I've gotta find him._

Once he exited the pillar and appeared back outside the castle, the door faded away. He watched as the door's existence disappeared and then turned his attention back onto the castle. Riku took a deep breath. _Kiari's Kavern, huh? That's what she called it. This is where she resides. Thankfully, she thinks that I'm dead. . . I can use that to my advantage. . . But then again, she probably already knows that I'm here. . . That doesn't matter. I'll have to be careful either way. . . _

_I promise you Sora, I'll save you from the Hell that Kiari wants you to be a part of._

Kiari's eyes skimmed through the group of her pawns. The thought that Riku was alive baffled her. She was fairly positive that after his plunge into the chasm he was dead. It had only been moments ago that Amiamon said that he'd spotted Riku on the castle grounds. Having Riku alive could be a big problem.

If he somehow got to Sora, then it could ruin all of her plans.

"Listen up!" Kiari yelled. "I want you all to be on guard. Riku's alive, and he should be here anytime soon. He'll be looking for Sora. I want some of you to go after him and try to kill him. He's wounded and weak. He shouldn't be that hard to kill. The only thing that's keeping him on his two feet is his will power." Kiari pointed to a group of three boys. "You three."

The tallest of the three was the broadest also. His shirt couldn't hide the fact that he was in great shape. His brown hair was combed back out of his face, some of it running down to the base of his neck. He blinked his blue eyes and stood up erect when Kiari pointed at him.

The two shorter boys next to him did the same. The ebony-haired boy blinked his bright blue eyes also. His eyes were practically the same color as his cobalt blue shirt.

The third boy was the shortest of the three. He too also had blue eyes and short brown hair. His face was dotted with freckles.

"What are your names?" Kiari asked.

The tallest and the oldest boy answered first. "I'm Ryan Thompson, and these are my brothers. Zack," he motioned his head towards the black-haired boy, "and Taylor." He turned to the shorter boy.

"I see. . . I want you three to stop Riku from causing any havoc in this castle. Got it? You can start by finding out where he is. Perhaps you can even set some traps for the guy. I don't care how you do it, but I want him captured and brought to me. Understand?"

Ryan nodded. "Yes, Mistress Kiari."

There was a drawbridge that led into the large castle, but Riku knew better than to just go waltzing in through the front door. He had to find another way in.

Riku summoned his Keyblade and stepped towards what looked like a tunnel that ran underneath the castle. It was a waterway. "Everything has to be complicated," he sighed. As he went to step into the water, a small Heartless crept up behind him. It jumped him, knocking Riku and itself into the river. The silver-haired boy was able to slash it easily. Riku stood up, soaked. The water was a little higher than his waist.

_I absolutely hate those things. Damn this water! It's freakin' freezing! _Riku cursed mentally. He took one last glance around to make sure no one had saw him. He especially kept his gaze onto the forest. Ever since he and Sora had arrived, he always had the feeling that he was being watched. Was it that stranger that they had saw on the first day? Or was it one of Kiari's minions? Maybe it was both. Even though he couldn't see through the thick trees, something in his heart told him that there was someone there.

Somebody was following him.

Riku didn't know who or where that person was, but he didn't care. He turned around and entered the waterway, determined to get into the castle.

Outside the castle border, Taylor stood and glanced around the corner. He watched as Riku walked into the tunnel and vanished. Out of his coat pocket, he pulled out a walkie-talkie. "He's in the waterway," he whispered into the device.

A voice replied to him from the walkie-talkie. "Good, now stay there until I tell you to move. Got it?"

"Roger that," Taylor nodded.

Riku ventured down through the water slowly. The whole time he moved on, questions lingered in his head. For some reason, he was tense and nervous. He didn't know why, but the thought of somebody watching his every move just wouldn't leave his mind. _Why would a waterway be the only path open? It's just weird that their was no other path. Kiari isn't one for locking people out. But then again, she may still think that I'm dead. But still. . . She could always already know that I'm alive and be waiting for me to make a move. . . Unless, maybe. . ._

Further down the waterway, Ryan stood in a different passage doorway that led up and into the castle. He lit a match and tossed it into the water, making it rise up in flames instantly. Pulling out his walkie-talkie, he said, "The fire's lit." Ryan quickly turned and ran up the stone staircase behind him that led up into the castle corridors.

Riku lifted his hand out of the water. He rubbed his fingers together. When they touched, they slipped. His hand and his body was slimy. More like _oily. . ._

Riku gasped when he saw the bright, burning light at the end of the tunnel. _So that's what she was planning. . . She wanted to toast me before I could save Sora. Well, she's gonna have to try a lot harder than this. _Riku continued down the slimy tunnel, taking notice of the cold water becoming more heated. The flames encircled him, the heat turning more intense.

_This isn't good. Not good at all. I'm covered in oil and the flames are coming. I have to get out of here. _Before the flames caught onto him, he dived underneath the water and swam quickly. By the time he was running out of breath, there were still flames crackling above him. _I can't go back up to the surface. I'll catch on fire up there. . . But if I stay down here, I'll drown. Come on Riku! Think! Drown or catch fire? _

Riku finally figured out what to do. He put his feet to the waterway's floor and then kicked off, pushing himself to the surface. As soon as he was out of the water and into the hot flames, he lifted up his Keyblade and commanded, "Blizzard!" The large crystals of ice extinguished most of the flames before they could burn him.

Riku smiled at his success. _That wasn't so bad. At least I wasn't injured. . . But these other wounds are still slowing me down quite a bit. . . I have to hurry._

Taylor was now standing in the waterway, peering down the tunnel. The water was up to his stomach so it was complicated not to make much noise while moving around. If Riku spotted him, he doubted that he could fight him on his own. That was, if Riku was still alive.

Taylor felt his walkie-talkie vibrate when he heard his brother ask, "Taylor, did we get him?"

"Hang on. . ." Taylor stepped around the corner and quickly retreated a few steps back. He ducked low into the water so Riku wouldn't spot him. He put the walkie-talkie up to his mouth and whispered, "No. . . He's still alive. He's heading towards the passageway steps where you guys are."

Zack turned to Ryan who was standing next to him. The older Thompson boy took the walkie-talkie from his his younger brother and started, "We need to drain the waterway but we don't have enough time to get you out of there Taylor. The flow of the water is going to sweep you down this way so when you go by the staircase, Zack will grab your hand. Got it?"

"Gotcha."

"Okay, let's move." Ryan pocketed the device and turned to Zack. "I'll pull the lever to drain the waterway. Make sure you grab Taylor's hand."

"What, do you think I'll mess up?" Zack asked.

"Zack. . ."

"I know, I know. I'll get him. I promise."

A strange noise filled the waterway. Riku blinked in surprise. _What the hell is that noise? _He took notice that the steady water had began to flow at an increasing speed. It was shallow at first, but began to move more rapidly. The current was so strong that it knocked Riku off of his feet. Determined to stop himself from being swept away, he grabbed onto the wall. _Good, all I have to do is hold on a little longer. _Riku paused when he saw a boy come around the corner.

He looked to be about Sora's age and had black, spiky hair along with friendly blue eyes. The boy stared at him for a few moments before he began to move towards him. Careful not to step into the quick water, the boy reached over and tried to take one of Riku's hands.

_Is this boy trying to help me. . ? _The black-haired boy pried one of Riku's hands off the wall and then released it, almost making Riku fall into the speedy water. _Then again, _Riku mentally said, _definitely not!_

When the boy pried Riku's other hand off the wall, Riku grabbed a fistful of the boy's shirt and pulled him down with him. The two of them splashed into the water. Riku still had a good grip on the other boy.

"Let go!"

"No! Who are you!?" Riku demanded to know.

The boy didn't reply, but pulled up his legs and kicked Riku in the chest, making Riku release his grip on him. Unsheathing his sword that rested at his side, the boy stabbed the end into the wall and then threw himself in front of it, preventing him from being swept away by the water.

"Zack!" a voice called from further up the tunnel.

"Taylor! Don't worry, I'm down here! When you see me, grab my hand!" Another boy that was being washed away by the flowing water came around the corner and grabbed the boy's extended hand.

_Zack? Taylor? Who are these people? _Riku thought, continuing to get swept down the tunnel. He glanced behind himself and noticed that all of the water was pouring out of an opened hatch and off a cliff like a waterfall. Right before he went off the cliff, he got an idea.

After he had fallen and was out of the sight of Zack and Taylor, he called for his Keyblade which came immediately. He stabbed it into the wall and held on to it tightly which stopped his fall.

All of the water finally flowed out of the tunnel. Zack and Taylor got to their feet. Zack pulled his sword out of the wall and placed it back in his sheath. "Thanks," Taylor said.

"It was no problem. I'm your big brother after all, and it's my job to protect you," Zack told him.

Taylor snorted. "You're just as weak as me. If we ever got into serious trouble, we'd both be dead."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You're probably right." Zack turned to Ryan who was approaching them. "So, Riku's finally dead, right?"

"Yeah. . ." Ryan nodded. "I guess so."

"I'm exhausted," Zack sighed. "At least we're finished here. I told you we could do it!"

Taylor folded his arms. "No, you complained that we'd get killed and then you said we'd fail and get slaughtered by Kiari."

"Well, maybe I was wrong. But that's only once," Zack stated. "I'm always right."

Taylor snorted once again.

"Let's get back to Kiari and tell her that we finished him off," Ryan directed. "I don't know about you, but I'm thankful that we're done. Besides, Joshua's probably wondering where we are."

"Yeah, I guess that you're right," Zack agreed.

"Let's go." The three Thompson brother's turned around and paced up the stone staircase that led into Kiari's large Kavern.

Just outside the waterway, Riku dangled from his Keyblade, thinking. _So, it was a trap. I knew it. Kiari must know that I'm alive. I wonder who those two boys were. I never saw them before. They're definitely working for Kiari. So, she has more than just Lamont, Amiamon, and Flexis. I wonder how many. . . They're all probably pretty strong._

Riku grabbed on to the cliff's edge and began to climb up. Once he was up where the hatch was, he peeked to see if anyone was still there. When he saw that the coast was clear, he pulled himself up and then paced back down the now empty waterway. He found himself at the stone staircase. He slowly made his way up the stairs. When he reached the top, he cautiously stepped into a long corridor.

"Yeah, Riku's dead," Zack told the others who sat in the lobby. "Taylor and I knocked him off that cliff like there was no tomorrow."

Taylor liked to stretch the truth as much as his brother. "Yeah, we hurt him so much that you probably can't even recognize him now."

"I doubt you two did that," a girl with flaming red hair scoffed, whipping her ponytail behind her back. "You two are the weakest ones here."

"Excuse me?" Zack folded his arms. "I'm sorry, but we didn't ask for the bitch's opinion."

Taylor snickered. "Yeah Crystalina. Piss off."

The girl known as Crystalina stood up, stomping her foot on the ground. "What did you say to me? You two are lucky that I don't~"

"Do not start a fuss," Lamont cut in, standing up. He turned to the two Thompson brothers who were relaxing on the sofa. "Are you two idiots? I do not understand how Ryan can stand you two. I can still feel his presence. Riku is alive."

As the words escaped Lamont's lips, practically everyone in the room went into an uproar.

Amiamon blinked and then turned to the two boys. "You idiots! You couldn't kill one person without screwing up?"

"I knew that we shouldn't have counted on them!" A brunette named Amalia hissed. "I mean, Ryan's awesome, but these two are just idiots."

"I know right," Viola agreed. "How Kiari trusts them to take care of such a task is beyond me."

Flexis laughed as he sat down onto a couch next to Amiamon. His weight made the side that Amiamon was sitting on rise up off of the floor a bit.

"But this is a problem, Kiari's gonna kill us if she figures out that Riku's still alive!" Crystalina pointed out.

"You idiots, you just screwed us all!" Amalia cried.

"Hey! It's not our fault that Kiari chose us to get rid of Riku. Maybe she favors us over you!" Taylor shouted to everyone.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Another uproar broke out in the room. They only thing that got them to fall silent was when an ax was flung into the wall just next to Zack's face. Everyone slowly turned to Lamont. "Quiet. I will take care of Riku. As for all of you, do not get in my way. The Dark Lord will surely destroy you if you step in the way and become a nuisance. As for Mistress Kiari, you can implore her to rest assure. I will not fail."

Lamont was silent after that when he walked over and pulled the ax out of the wall next to Zack's face. It disappeared out of his hand as he walked out of the room.

Riku knew that he had just entered Hell's hole. There were lights in this room, illuminating the entire hall. A long red rug stretched down each corridor. _So this is what the inside of Kiari's Kavern looks like, huh? I pictured more of a torture chamber look more than a palace look. But then again, this is Kiari we're talking about. You never know what's going on with her. . . Sora's around here somewhere. . . He's in her chamber, I'm pretty sure. . . But where is her chamber? That's the question. _As he moved slowly, he glanced at them, not watching where he was stepping. . .

Riku's foot sunk into the floor. He gasped and quickly looked down at his foot. He had stepped on a lever. "Damn. . ." he muttered. He heard could hear the the sounds of mechanisms coming to life and working somewhere close to him. Slabs of stone ripped out of the walls, each of them both taller and wider than Riku's body. On the opposite side of the slabs, there were at least fifty jagged spikes.

The spikes sat still for awhile. They finally began to move. They hovered around the room for awhile, and then turned their attention towards Riku, who stood there. Spikes pointing first, they zoomed towards him. Riku dived to the left to avoid the first one and then after his dive, dodge-rolled the next. They kept coming towards him.

_How are they moving? _Riku thought. _Someone must be controlling them! But with what, and who is it? They keep coming towards me! I can't keep this up! Sooner or later I'm gonna be out of energy and then I won't be able to dodge them!_

Riku glanced back and forth. Two were coming at him at once. He quickly dived out into the open space in front of him. As he continued to get up, the two slabs of spikes collided into each other and smashed. Some of the spikes were tossed around when they did. While he dodged the other slabs that raced around the room, he also tried to dodge the falling spikes.

After dodging, diving, and avoiding everything, the last spike that fell jabbed into his left leg. The jolt of pain that flew through his body was unbearable. All at once, all of his other wounds began to ache with pain. It was too much to ignore. He couldn't stop himself. He fell against the wall and used the rest of his strength to avoid going on to the ground. Turning his attention to the running slabs, he saw that one was headed right towards him. Riku summoned his Keyblade and stabbed it into the wall, letting the end of it stick out. He hoped that when the slab crashed into him that his Keyblade would help to keep the spikes away from him. He crossed his arms in front of his face to protect himself and instinctively closed his eyes.

The spiked slab made contact with the wall, creating a creator in the stone. Riku gasped in pain. His Keyblade had helped to lessen the damage, but the spikes had sliced his arms and legs up quite a bit. One of the spikes was only inches away from his face. But none of that meant anything. One of the other spikes had jabbed into his gut. Although the wound wasn't a deep one, it was enough to make even more pain soar throughout his body.

A chunk of the slab had crumbled and fallen to the floor, allowing Riku to see most of the room. What he saw made horror strike his heart. Another one of the slabs was heading straight towards him. "Oh no. . ." Riku closed his eyes once again in fear.

Dust filled the air as the creator in the wall grew bigger. The spike that had been lingering in front of Riku's face had made a gash across his forehead. The slices in Riku's limbs became worse as well as the one in his gut.

Riku stood there for awhile, his mind in complete shock. The pain had totally engulfed him. The pool of blood that was beginning to form at his feet grew bigger and bigger. When he snapped out of his daze, his head began to pound and his vision immediately grew so blurry that he could hardly see his surroundings. For the longest time, it took all he had to just stare at the blood that ran down his arms drip off of his elbows and into the puddle at his feet. All at once, Riku's strength left his body and he went limp.

Lamont was standing in the corridor when Zack and Taylor went running down the hall. "What was that noise?" Taylor asked.

"I felt something before. . . It sounded like the roof collapsed or something," Zack told him.

"That, my dear friend, was the power of the Dark Lord," Lamont replied.

Zack and Taylor both blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"Go through the corridors. I used the spiked slabs hidden in the walls to take Riku down. I can still hear the beating of his heart in his very chest. . . You two, go retrieve him and take him to the Mistress's room. That is an order."

The two Thompson's nodded. Once Lamont walked away, Taylor whispered to his brother, "He's really creepy sometimes. . ."

"I know. . . Don't remind me. . ."

"Let's make sure to never get on his bad side."

"You got that right."

"So," Taylor began, "he said that he took Riku down. . . But where?"

"Who cares? Let's just go and find him and then drag him to Kiari's chamber. I just want to get back to having fun."

"Me too."

The two of them paced down corridor after corridor until Zack slipped. He tried desperately to stay onto his feet but succeeded in crashing face first into the floor. Taylor cupped one of his hands over his mouth to contain his laughs, but couldn't hold it back. As he laughed, the only thing he managed to get out was, "Phh! Are you. . . You. . ? Ha!" Zack slowly got onto his hands and knees, blood dripping from his forehead.

"Blood? Oh come on, you couldn't have possibly hurt yourself."

"That's not my blood. . ." Zack said to him.

Taylor's laughing smile turned into a horrific look. "That's gross." His brother stood up, the entire front portion of his body covered in wet, red blood.

"Aw man. . ." Zack sighed. "My clothes are ruined. . . I have to wipe my face. . ." Zack walked over and began to wipe his face off of Taylor's hoodie.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Not my clothes! You fag, what's wrong with you!?" Taylor screamed at him, stepping away.

"Ugh, sorry. I just needed to wipe a bit off. I feel better now," Zack said. "Where do you suppose that blood came from?"

"Probably Riku. . ." Taylor guessed. They peered around the corner, and sure enough they saw one of the slabs still stuck in the wall. Blood was oozing out from underneath it. It had flowed around the corner and ran down the hall.

"Well, I guess we found him. . . If he's still there that is. . ." Zack stated. They walked over to where they saw a slab stuck in the wall. "Do you think he's back there?"

"Something is," Taylor replied.

"Well, only one way to find out." Zack grabbed onto one side of the slab, Taylor taking the other. "On three. One, two, three!" The two of them pulled the slab away, only to see another one in its place.

"Oh, there's two of them here," Taylor told his brother.

"I can see that,0 dumbass."

"You don't have to be rude about it." The two of them proceeded in removing the next slab. When they did, dust filled the air. Zack heard Taylor scream and then saw the body that had fallen on top of his brother. "Zack! Help me! You fool! Get this thing off of me!"

Zack grinned. "What's the magic word?"

"Damn it Zack! _Please!_"

"Aye, aye." Zack grabbed Riku's arm and pulled the body off of his brother. "It's only Riku. Lighten up."

"You lighten up! Aw. . . Now I'm all covered in blood!" Taylor groaned.

"Suck it up and be a man."

"Screw you."

Zack laughed. "Let's just get this body out of here."

"Okay," Taylor agreed. "_But. . ._"

"Oh god. . . What do you want?" Zack asked.

"_You _carry him _all_ the way up to Kiari's chamber."

"By _myself ?_"

"By yourself."

Zack sighed. "If I just stand here and complain with you, we'll never get this done. And then Kiari will kill us for being foolish."

"You got that right."

"Fine then," Zack nodded. "I'll do it." As he started to drag Riku by the legs, he took notice of the blood stained floor. "But Taylor, you have to clean up all of that blood."

"Pardon?"

"You heard me."

"But that's not fair!" Taylor complained.

"Yeah it is."

Taylor sighed. "All right."


	10. Chapter 10 - A Fight to the Death

**Day 10**

**The Fight to the Death**

"So, you're finally awake. Took long enough."

Riku's blurred vision began to improve. He could see a figure standing across the room. His hands were tied behind his back and to one of the pillars that supported the ceiling. Although his vision hadn't fully recovered yet, Riku knew who the figure was. "Heh. . . It's been awhile,_Kiari._"

"Yes, it has," Kiari answered, stepping out of the shadows.

Riku ignored her. "Where's Sora?"

"Oh, so it is Sora you're looking for? Well. . ." Kiari began. "Why am I here answering _your _questions? I have a question for you to answer."

Riku glared at her but didn't say a word.

"You see, for my evil plot, I'm gonna need as many pawns as I can get. And I was thinking, since you're not dead or anything, would you like to join me?"

"No!" Riku shouted at her immediately.

"Now that's just plain rude, I wasn't even done talking yet," Kiari said. "As I was saying, you do not need to succumb to the Darkness. Just use the Darkness as you've always used it and obey me. Complete my little tasks and rule the universe with me. It will be a lot easier with you on my team than without."

"I already said no," Riku declined.

"Either you join me, or I torture you until your death. Your choice."

"I'd rather die."

Kiari narrowed her eyes. "I've already healed your wounds. Think about it. We could all be as we were if you join me. You could be with me. . . _and _Sora. Make your choice. I'll give you some time." She slowly paced over to him, kneeling down to equal his height. She ran her hands down his arms and then jabbed a fingernail into his skin just above his heart.

Riku grimaced and flinched.

"Come on Riku," she pouted, "you know that you've always wanted to have power. Now's your chance. . . Think about it, you and Sora being by side for the rest of your pathetic lives. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"I think the pits of Hell would be less painful," Riku spat. "Get the hell out of my face."

Kiari stood up, a frown on her face. She kicked Riku forcefully in the stomach and then marched towards her chamber door. "You have twenty-four hours to make your choice." Then she stepped out of the room.

_What should I do. . ? I don't want to work for her that's for sure. If I do, I'll definitely end up giving into the Darkness. But if I refuse, she'll kill me. . . maybe I can pretend to join her. That would at least get me untied. No, Kiari's to smart to fall for that. Then what should I do! I can't think straight. Wait, maybe I can still escape. Yeah, that's what I'll do._

Riku could see a key sitting on a table just to his left. He knew that it was the key to his shackles. He had to get himself untied before he could do anything else. Moving as quickly as he could, he edged himself to the left so he was facing the table. He kicked off one of his shoes and then used his other foot to take off his sock. He stretched his leg out as far as it would go to try and reach the key. To his amazement, his foot just reached the key. After a few attempts, he managed to pick up the key with his toes. He brought his leg back down and then took the key in his mouth. Looking over his shoulder, he dropped the key into his hand and then carefully tried to free himself from the shackles.

It worked.

Riku stood up and rubbed his wrists. He quickly slipped his sock and shoe back on and then brought his Keyblade to his hand in case anyone thought of jumping him any time soon. He paced over to the steps that led back into the castle and out of the tower that he was in. He ran down the stairs and cautiously went down each and every hallway, following the blood smears that stained the carpets. _This is definitely my blood. If I follow this back to where I passed out before, I can find the entrance. But where's Sora? Where could he be? Why can't I find~_

Riku quickly came to a stop. Around the corner, stood Kiari. She had her back to him and was talking to Zack. He nodded and then ran off. _She has her guard lowered. . . This is my chance. . . And I'm going to take it!_

His feet made him race towards to Kiari before he even had to make them. His Keyblade was hurtling towards her unprotected body, waiting to rip into flesh and spill blood. _I've got her now! _

A blade was placed in between Kiari and Riku's weapon, making the two Keyblades clash together. Sparks showered the floor.

Riku's aquamarine eyes stared into two dull eyes. He knew immediately who had stopped his attack, but that didn't matter to him anymore. All he knew was the his most prized possession, his best friend was there with him now. But the confusing thing was, those blue eyes didn't belong to him. His blue eyes had been filled with an undying will along with friendly and happiness. But they were different now. The eyes he was staring into deeply were ones filled with pure Darkness. The evil that reflected off the glassy surface of them was blood-curdling.

The silver-haired boy took a step back from his spiky-haired friend. Although his outfit, weapon, and mainly his eyes had changed, there was no mistaking it.

It was Sora.

He was here.

Riku had found him.

"Sora. . . I. . . I finally found you. . ."

Sora was silent. He stood up erect and held his Keyblade at his side. Kiari had turned around, blinking rapidly. "Oh, hello Riku. Nice to see that you escaped my chamber. No matter, we can simply just capture you again."

Ignoring Kiari's comment, Riku continued, "Sora, you have no idea how long I've been searching for you. . . You're finally here. . . Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. . ."

Even his voice sounded different. It wasn't perky and cheerful like it normally was. It was dark and sinister, creepy and serious.

Riku pressed on. "What are you doing here with Kiari?"

Kiari was the one who replied. "Why, he always with me now. Does that _bother _you, Riku? He belongs to me and only me, isn't that right, Sora?"

Something shifted inside of Riku's heart, something that he knew would cause him pain. "Sora. . . Don't tell me. . . No. . . You work for. . ?" The realization stuck him like a bullet to the head. Kiari had claimed Sora as her own.

He was her toy and she was the master.

"No. . . You can't. . ." Riku gripped his Keyblade tightly in his hand. "Don't tell me that you obey her now, Sora! She's the enemy! She follows the Darkness!"

"I know that," Sora stated. "I follow it too. I am the King of the Darkness. I will rule all worlds, including this one."

"You can't be serious. . ." Riku clenched his teeth and balled his fist, turning to Kiari. "You bitch! What did you do to him!? Answer me!" Riku lunged towards her, his Keyblade ready to attack. Once again, Sora deflected the attack from being fulfilled.

Riku hastily jumped back before anyone could try to hurt him. "Why Sora? How could you betray the Light? You were the one with the most Light! You are the legendary Keyblade Master! How could you betray your own destiny!?"

Sora smirked. "Destiny? Heh, that's pathetic. I don't cooperate with destiny. I choose my own paths to walk along." Turning to Kiari, Sora asked, "Hey, can I kill him?"

"I was planning on using him for another pawn."

"But he disobeyed you. He is rejecting your dark powers. Don't let it go to waste. Let me kill him. It will teach him a lesson." Taking Kiari's hand in his own, he kissed her fingers. "Please?"

Anger flared to life in Riku's heart. How dare Kiari twist Sora's kind and perfect heart into one full of evil and false love.

Kiari smiled in defeat. "All right, Sora. You can kill him. Consider it a gift. You've been good to me." She leaned forward and gave Sora a kiss on the cheek.

A satisfied smirk appeared on Sora's face. "Thank you. I'll be sure to make this battle a fun one."

"You go right ahead," Kiari told him. "I have a few things that I have to do. By the time I get back, I expect his blood to be splattered all over these halls. Understand?"

"Yes, my love," Sora replied.

The feeling in Riku's heart couldn't be described by words. His heart had been torn apart, that much he knew, but now it was being pieced back together by all the wrong feelings. Hate, betrayal, treachery, sorrow. . . He could feel the Darkness seeping into his empty body.

The little sanity he had left was the only thing that he could hold on to.

How could Sora do this to him? How could he force Riku out of the Darkness and then become a part of it himself? As much as he wanted to blame Sora, he knew that all the blame had to be on Kiari.

She was the one who wanted him.

She was the one who had changed him.

Sora had become the monster that Kiari had wanted him to be.

And that terrified Riku.

For someone as strong as Sora to have dark powers, he could bring terrible destruction. He knew that the only way for him to be able to change Sora back would be for him to defeat Sora. Fighting his friend would be hard, but he knew that he had to do it.

Sora was suffering from Kiari's dark grip, and he couldn't bear the helpless cries of his pleading friend.

"What's wrong Riku? Disappointed?" Sora asked.

Silence.

"I know that I've always told you that Light was stronger and what not, but now I've come to realize, Darkness _is_ true power. Darkness is the only thing that can conquer Light."

"You're wrong," Riku told him. "Someone once told me that deep down, in the darkest pits of the heart, there's a Light that never goes out. I didn't believe him at first, but now I do. Sora. . . Seeing you like this. . . Like this _monster_. . . You're changing into what Kiari wants you to be. You're not yourself. . . Please, trust me."

Sora shook his head. "Why would I want to trust you?"

"Because we're friends. . ."

"Friend?" Sora lingered on that word for a moment. "Oh yeah, what makes you say that?"

"We've always been friends! How can you not remember!?" Riku yelled.

"The only person I care about it Kiari. She is my love, and I live to serve her in whatever way I can. If she wants you dead, then so be it."

Kiari had already disappeared around the corner.

"Wait!" Riku screamed. "Get back here! I'm not finished with you yet Kiari!" He ran towards the way she had gone, only to get stopped by Sora. "Sora! Get out of my way!"

"You'll have to beat me first," Sora hissed. "I won't let anybody hurt my dear Kiari, even if it kills me."

"I may have lost last time, but this time, I'll win!" Riku stood in his battle stance.

"What makes you so sure?"

"I wasn't ready to fight you last time. But now, I am. And I know just what to expect."

"Oh yeah, well, let's get started then, shall we?"

"With pleasure." Riku was the first to attack. He slashed and Sora simply stepped out of the way. Sora shook his head when Riku missed again.

"You call this fighting?" he jeered. "Please, the pawns that Kiari have gathered would put up a better fight than this, but then again, I guess that's all that you are. A _pawn._"

Riku narrowed his eyes and ran at Sora once again, racing towards him.

Sora smiled mischievously and held out his hand. He flexed his fingers a bit before he finally scrunched his hand up in a tight fist.

It felt as if someone had just poured fiery magma onto Riku's heart. His entire body was engulfed in pain. Riku let out a cry of pain and fell the floor face first, clutching his heart. His mind threatened to blacken.

Sora lessened his tight fist and lowered his hand. Riku looked up, his face twisted into one of pain. "What. . . What did you do?"

"I called to the Darkness in your heart. I told it to take over the little Light that you had left. You see, I can easily manipulate the power of Darkness and use it to my advantage. With the snap of my finger, I can turn your heart over to the Darkness."

Riku got onto his hands and knees. "Don't you dare. . ."

A twisted smile appeared on Sora's face when he held up his fingers, ready to snap them.

"Don't!"

Sora snapped his fingers.

The pain came all too quickly. Riku screamed out in agony when he felt something in his heart shift. It felt as it his heart was being torn out of his chest. Darkness swirled around Riku's body, changing his appearance.

Sora furrowed his brow when the newly formed Riku. "My, my. . . Isn't this interesting. . ? I never expected this to happen."

Blinking, Riku looked at himself. His outfit had changed to one of a darker essence, but he didn't feel any different. Not at all. In fact, he felt more powerful than ever now. He had a new confidence in him, an overwhelming one. Before, he hadn't been so sure about it, but now, he had a feeling in his heart telling him that he would definitely defeat Sora now.

"So. . . I understand. You're power is coming from the Darkness, but yet your heart still shines with Light. . ." Sora narrowed his eyes and brought his dark weapon to his hand. "But. . . how long can you hold onto the Light before the Darkness swallows you?!"

Darkness circled around Sora's Keyblade. The weapon began to glow a dark purple color. Barely visible, there was a sharp see-through blade that covered the entire Keyblade itself. The tip of the blade was surely enough to rip through someone's flesh within seconds.

"Are you ready?" Sora asked. Riku could see the urge in Sora's eyes. The urge to fight. The urge to _kill_.

"Are _you_?" Riku asked him. Sora smiled evilly and then ran towards Riku. He threw his Keyblade around like a madman. Riku swayed left and right and then, on Sora's last slash, he jumped over the Keyblade and then over his now different friend. When he landed on the ground, he threw his Keyblade backwards. If his calculations were correct, his Keyblade should have stabbed through Sora's back.

"Always watch your opponent carefully. Never get caught off guard or let the enemy get behind you. Looks like I win this battle," Riku stated.

"_You_ won? You think that this battle is_over_ ?"

Riku gasped. He turned his head and peered over his shoulder. Indeed, Riku's blade was right on target, in the middle of Sora's back. But the confusing thing was, he had no wound. The Keyblade had never punctured his skin or even scratched him. It didn't do any damage at all. "But, I should have hit you! How did I miss?" Riku asked as he pulled his Keyblade back and jumped away. Sora stood up erect.

"You _didn't_ miss, you did hit me right on target," Sora told him.

"But, my blade should have been impaled through your body. . . Why didn't it work?"

"Well. . . if you really want to know. . ."

"Tell me!" Riku demanded.

"All right. You're going to die anyway, it's already obvious that I'll be the winner of this battle. I may as well tell you," Sora decided. "The thing is. . . I _can't_ get cut." A smile spread out across Sora's face and just kept growing bigger and bigger. "I have to say that it is rather boring not being able to get hurt when your in battle. But, if it means you'll win every time, then I think I can handle that."

"How?" Riku asked him.

"My power is so great that I can make the Darkness coat my body. It's almost like having another layer of skin on your body, only tougher. The fellow Heartless that I can create and eliminate were the perfect things to coat around myself, and it worked. My skin is impossible to wound. It can't be cut or sliced or anything. It's like I'm built out of steel."

_If his skin is just like steel. . . Then how am I supposed to defeat him? What can I possibly do? He has to have a weakness. . . Everyone has a weakness. _

Before Riku could think of anything to try, Sora lunged at him. The deadly urge in Sora's eyes was even more crazed than before, and Riku could tell that Sora was about to lose some of the sanity that he had left. That was, if he even had any left already.

As much as the situation said that the real Sora was long gone, Riku refused to accept it. He knew that his dear friend was still in there somewhere. Deep down, shrouded by the Darkness, Sora was there, calling for help. His heart ached just thinking about it.

"You let your guard down." The evil voice was a mere whisper in his ear. His eyes widened when he spun himself around. Sora's face was only inches away from his. It was too late to block the incoming attack. Sora's Keyblade ripped through Riku's flesh, sending blood splattering onto the floor.

Riku didn't even have enough time to fall to his knees when Sora reappeared behind him and slashed across his back. Before he fell forward onto the floor, a foot made contact with Riku's jaw and sent him off the floor and into the air. Sora's weapon dug into his collarbone which send him crashing into the floor, more of his blood flying in every direction.

Breathing heavily, Riku got onto his hands and knees. Sora stepped over to him, his Keyblade dripping blood. "You're _weak_," he whispered harshly. "You don't even deserve to serve alongside Kiari. You just deserve to die." He pointed his Keyblade at Riku's head. "So just die."

Riku quickly blocked the attack, forcing himself onto his feet. He gave Sora a shove backward, and then stepped forward. He let out a battle cry, his Keyblade glowing a white color, and slashed against Sora's chest.

A shocked expression came to life on Sora's face as he stumbled backward. Blood began to trickle out of the light slice across his chest where the fabric of his clothes had been torn. "Hmm. . . Wow, that power you have. . . It's rather extraordinary. No one has ever been able to hack through my dark barrier. . . But you did. You know what that means don't you? I have more of a reason to kill you now. You're a threat to the Mistress Kiari, and I won't let you live. But still. . ." Sora vanished and then reappeared beside Riku. "You're still not as quick as _me_." Riku managed to take a step back before Sora sliced his side.

"Everything has a weakness. Even your barrier of Darkness. It's weakness was the Light," Riku told Sora, clutching his wounded side.

Sora sighed and stood up tall, ignoring the blood that ran down his body. "I was holding back, but now, I'm going to give this last attack all I've got. This will take you down in one swipe."

"I'm at the end of my rope too." Riku ran his hand along his Keyblade. _Light. . ._ _Please. . . I know that I've never asked for your help before. . . But now, I'm asking you. . . As a follower, please. . . _

_Lend me your strength._

A bright Light coated Riku's Keyblade, creating a thick outer layer of sharp protection over the weapon. It's length grew three times longer, making the weapon more deadly than before.

Narrowing his eyes, Sora commanded, "Darkness!" The murky essence covered Sora's Keyblade, making the see-through covering turn a dark purple color and increase in size. As bad as the weapon had been before, it looked a hundred times more evil now. "It's over _Riku_." Sora's body began to glow an evil purple color.

"This is the end,_Sora_," Riku hissed. He and his Keyblade began to glow bright blue.

The two boys ran at each other, getting ready to strike with both of their Keyblades. They both screamed in unison as they swung their weapons simultaneously. A bright, blinding Light engulfed Riku as a dark, fiery substance covered Sora.

Both the Light and the Darkness mixed, creating a giant Twilight orb that grew and grew. The giant orb burst, blowing the roof of the castle hallway and leaving in the chilly outside air. Rubble began to fall from the ceiling.

Riku and Sora stared at each other with wide eyes. No words came from their blood dripping mouths. Sora's Keyblade had torn through Riku's torso and was sticking out of his back. Riku's enlarged Keyblade had hacked through Sora's flesh and was stabbed into his stomach, creating a terrible gash from his gut to his torso. The tip of Riku's blade also protruded out of Sora's back. The two boys had stabbed each other at the same time, both leaving fatal wounds. Blood poured from both of their bodies, mixing into a large pool on the floor.

Riku stumbled away from Sora, and collapsed backward onto the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he could still see Sora. His friend staggered backward a few steps and dropped his Keyblade. Riku's Keyblade was still jammed into his body deeply when a Light began to circle Sora's body, fully covering him.

When it faded away, Riku let out a small sigh of relief. The boy who was standing there now was his true friend. His best friend. The one that he knew his whole life and the one who had helped him out in dark times. The one that Riku knew would always be there. That Sora.

He was wearing his original outfit, but his clothes were all saturated in both old and new blood. Even his necklace had been stained by the crimson liquid. Some of his hair was stuck together in clumps of dry blood. No doubt about it, he had changed back to what he looked like after the battle with Kiari.

Although Sora's eyes were glazed over, Riku could tell that they held Light in them. All the Darkness had finally disappeared from them. The Keyblade that was still sticking out of Sora's chest finally faded away. With a pitiful groan, he fell backward onto the ground with a sickening splat.

Riku closed his eyes. All he wanted to do was rest.

_Well. . . I beat Sora and he turned back to his original self. . . Boy, he must have really got beaten up by Kiari. Just look at him, all covered in blood from that last battle. I hope his necklace isn't ruined. If it is, I'll never hear the end of it._

_Heh, I can still remember when he told me where he got it. He said that his father had given it to him when he was young. . . That must have been before he left. . . I can't remember a day where he hasn't wore it. _

_At least I know that the Light is on my side now. . . I may have to use the Darkness to fight, but the Light will keep me safe. _

_Sora and I have to get out of here before Kiari gets back. . . She'll surely take Sora and change him back into that monster if she finds him. She'll probably kill me after that. We need to leave, now._

Riku bit his lip as he tried to sit up. It took a few attempts but he finally managed. Failing to get onto his feet, he crawled slowly towards his friend.

He finally made it to his friend.

His limbs trembled with fatigue and exhaustion. He gave Sora a small shake. "S-Sora. . ? We. . . We need. . . t-to get out of here. . . befo-ore Kiari gets back. . . Get up. . ."

Sora didn't move an inch nor reply.

"Sora. . . Get up. . ." Riku gave him another shake.

He didn't move.

"Sora. . . Come on. . . Please. . ." Riku lowered his head. _It's no use. . . He's hurt too badly. . . He's out cold too. . . Or maybe he's. . . He can't be. . . If there's one thing I know about Sora, he won't give up that easily. He won't let his Light disappear without a fight. . . _

_I'm not in the greatest shape myself either. . . I've lost so much blood. . . I really am going to die if I move on like this. . . But being stuck with Kiari is worse than death. . . Sora and I have to get out of here quickly. . . If not. . . We'll both be damned to this Hell on earth. . ._

_I can't let that happen to Sora._

_He deserves better._

It took all Riku had just to get onto his feet. His head was pounding painfully, threatening to make him pass out any minute. He feared that if he did, he might not wake back up. But what bothered him the most was the thought of losing Sora again. What if Kiari caught them before they escaped?

_I'll never let anything happen to you again. . . I promise Sora. . . I'll never let you go Sora. . . Never. . . I'll protect you with my life. . ._

With tons of effort, Riku managed to sling Sora over his shoulder. He took a few small steps forward. With every movement he made, he could feel the strength slowly leaving him. In little time, he would have no strength. He knew that if he didn't hurry, he'd collapse long before he got to the castle exit.

As he headed down the destroyed hallway, he came to an immediate pause. His vision finally cleared enough for him to realize that there was a man standing across from him. He was still for a long time, and Riku started to figure that he was just a figment of his imagination.

But he was wrong.

The man stepped towards him.

Riku summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at the stranger. His limbs continued to shake with tiredness. "D-Don't come any closer. . ."

The man spoke. "Please, do you really think that you can do any harm in your temporary state?"

Riku knew that he was right, but continued, "Get back. . . I swear. . . I'll kill you if you come even a step closer."

The stranger took a step forward and went on, "That boy. . ." Riku's heart lurched when he saw the man's eyes slide onto Sora. ". . . I need him."

"No! You're not taking him!" Riku was surprised that he was able to get his voice out in a yell. He knew that it wouldn't last.

The man took another step towards Riku that filled the gap between the two. He placed his hand on Riku's blade and with little force, took the weapon out of Riku's possession. Riku attempted to take a step back, but almost succeeded in sending himself to the floor.

The man put a hand on Riku's shoulder and then leaned forward, whispering something in his ear.

Riku felt his heart sink deeply into his chest. The words that had just came out of the man's mouth, were they true?

The man gave Riku a weak shove which sent him falling to the floor. When he bent over to take Sora in his own arms, Riku quickly wrapped his arms around his friend and refused to let go.

"Let go," the man ordered.

"No. . . I won't let you take him. . ."

The man's grip on Sora grew more forceful and the quick struggle finally ended. The man pulled Sora out of Riku's grasp, slung him over his shoulder, and then turned around to take his leave.

"No. . . Please. . . Don't take him. . . Don't take him away from me. . . I just got him back. . ." Riku grabbed onto the man's ankle and refused to let go. "Please. . . Please. . . Just let me stay with him. . . Don't hurt him. . ."

The man looked over his shoulder. "I'm not going to hurt him. I'm going to _help _him. As for you. . . I'm sorry, but your wounds aren't worth healing. . . You're going to die soon, Riku. I can only take Sora with me. . ."

"But why. . ? How come you're here. . ? Why did you~" Something inside Riku's heart shifted, and his whole body went numb. He could hear the low sounds of his heartbeat in his head. His grip around the man's ankle softened and then died away completely. Riku's hand fell to the floor.

The man stepped away from him, and Riku knew that he was leaving. "W-Wait. . . wait. . ." he pleaded sadly. "Don't just leave me here. . . Sora. . ."

The man's footsteps were growing fainter. Before his hearing clouded out, he heard the man whisper something. More like an apology. . .

"I'm sorry Darren. . ."

_Darren. . ? Darren? That's my~_

Another awful jolt of pain coursed through Riku's body, making his entire body go limp. His heartbeat was growing slower and slower. His aquamarine eyes brimmed with tears.

_Sora. . ._

_Damn it. . ._

_I let you down again. . ._

_Sora. . . I. . . _

_I. . ._

Riku's mind went black. Just before his vision faded out completely and he was about to pass on into the next world, he barely saw the figure running towards him. . .

_To Be Continued. . ._


End file.
